The Fall of Ilias
by ZEREF
Summary: "What if I told you everything you believed in was wrong. What if I told you the Monster Lord isn't our enemy?" "If she isn't, then who is!" "Haha...you would never guess..." A Monster Girls Quest/Monmusu Quest fic. Instead of Alice, Luka meets a mysterious young man as he leaves the village after failing to get a baptism. Luka is in for a quest of a lifetime...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: The Fateful Meeting**

Alright! I just finished MGQ yesterday, and now I finally have sufficient information to begin this fanfic! There will be OCs, but most will be random unimportant characters. All except Luka's new companion. He will massively change the course of the first half of Luka's journey, just like Alice did. WARNING: CONTAINS MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR THE WHOLE OF MGQ INCLUDING PART 3. Seriously, spoilers for the ending are already in this chapter. Alright then, here we go!

Disclaimer: I don't own MGQ.

* * *

-Luka-

…Where am I? A soft light filled the area, giving the atmosphere a solemn feel. Is…is this a dream? I guess so.

"Luka…oh brave Luka…"

I hear a beautiful voice begin to call out to me. The goddess Ilias suddenly appears before me!

"Oh brave Luka, can you hear my voice?"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"If you ignore me, I shall pass judgement on you. Do you understand?"

"Sorry."

And with that, Ilias began telling me about how she created the world.

"…But Luka, you have the potential to be able to defeat the Monster Lord!"

"…Eh? Re-Really?"

"Yes! Now go brave Luka! I shall always be watching o-"

-Luka's House-

Suddenly, I wake up in my house. Was that just a dream? …No, I definitely talked to Ilias! But…why did she suddenly cut off like that? What ha-

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

I almost fell off my bed as a shockwave bounced me and rattled the windows of my house as a massive boom reverberated through the village. I ran to a window to look in the direction of the sound, but could not see anything.

"I guess I should investigate it later. But first…"

Like every day, I start off with a prayer to Ilias. Then, I turn to a keepsake of my mother.

"Good morning mother. Tomorrow I will finally begin my journey as a Hero."

With my morning routine finished, I begin to get ready for my trip. My baptism is tomorrow, and I wouldn't want to be late for that.

"He-Help!"

While I was making my bed, I heard a scream from outside. What's happening so early in the morning? Sticking my head outside the window, I asked Hans, the lumberjack.

"Monster…a monster is in the forest!"

What?! Could it be related to that giant explosion earlier? If it made such a loud noise, it should be an incredibly powerful one! But still, with Ilias Temple here, monsters usually don't even dare to come near this village!

"Help!"

"Run!"

"Mommy!"

Wh-What should I do?! I haven't even seen a monster before, let alone fight one. But…I can't just leave my village in peril like this! Besides, one day I will face the Monster Lord, so if I can't even face a monster like this, how can I expect to be a Hero!? Grabbing my sword, I dash out of the house.

-Ilias Village-

Running outside, I see Hans.

"Hans! Which way is it?!"

"It was seen there!"

Huh? It's in the opposite direction of the explosion! Does that mean they're not related? Maybe, but I still have to handle the current problem!

"Luka! What are you doing!"

"Sorry Betty, but I have to go!"

Pushing past all the people, I run into the forest.

-Forest-

With sword in hand, I stand face to face with the monster that popped out of nowhere.

"Purupurupuru~~"

It's a Slime Girl, that's for sure. But they're some of the weakest monsters around, according to a book. It couldn't have caused the explosion, right?

"Hahaha, a delicious looking shota showed up!"

…shota? What is that? Monster language? But looking at the Slime Girl, I suddenly felt my confidence dissipate. Can I really beat this thing? Gripping my sword tighter, I ask the Slime.

"Um…you're quite near a human village you know…could you please…go away?"

Trying to avoid a pointless fight, I continue.

"Everyone in the village is scared of you, but if you mean no harm…"

"Hahaha, are you a pacifist or something? I'm too hungry to go away, so there's no point in asking me to leave…or are you willing to treat me to a meal?"

"No, I'm sorry. Giving semen to monsters is strictly a taboo."

"Well then, I guess I just have to forcibly squeeze it out of you then~"

Suddenly, the slime at her feet speeds at me and catches my feet!

"Wawah!"

"Heheheh…"

Slowly, the slime climbs to my ankles! I struggled as hard as I could.

"Geh!"

"It's no use resisting!"

I continued struggling. Finally, just as the slime reached my knees I escaped.

"Boo, what was that for?"

In response, I swing my sword at her.

"HAAAAH!"

But she avoided it!

"Gyah!"

"That's such a slow attack…who would even get hit by that?"

Shooting a slime tentacle at me, I barely manage to dodge. If big attacks won't work…then a small, fast one!

"HAH!"

I did it! With a quick stab, I stabbed the Slime and quickly pulled away.

"…Eh?"

I watched as the Slime put herself together.

"I'm a Slime, you moron! Sword attacks are useless against me!"

"No way!"

What do I do now?! As I frantically think, the Slime suddenly launches herself at me.

"Time to eat~~"

"YAAAAH!"

In an act of desperation, I flail my sword wildly.

"Ah, hey!"

"YAAAAAH!"

"Owowow! Run away!"

The Slime Girl suddenly ran away!

"Ah, hey!"

I was about to chase her, but I just dropped to the ground from exhaustion.

"Haah…haah…"

Yeah right. I could barely move now. A real battle is much different than a training one. If it had gone on any longer, I might have lost! Suddenly, a soldier came crashing through the woods.

"Hey are you al-Luka! What are you doing here! Don't tell me the monster got-"

"Don't worry…I defeated and chased her away."

"Seriously! That's great! Wait till the villagers hear about this!"

Helping me up to my feet, we returned to the village.

-Ilias Village-

"…and that was how I defeated the Slime Girl."

I was sitting in the village square and telling the others what happened.

"Looks I shouldn't have worried about you after all, Luka."

"Thanks, Betty."

"You'll make a great Hero, Luka!"

"Thanks."

"When I grow up, I want to be a Hero and kill monsters too!"

"Hahaha…"

Kill monsters…huh. To be honest…I don't actually want to kill monsters. Rather, I think that humans and monsters might be able to live together. Coexistence between monsters and humans is my dream! Therefore, I'll go beat the Monster Lord, then make her see things my way! Since a long time ago, before the Remina incident, humans and monsters coexisted together. Therefore, I think it's still possible to bring back that coexistence.

"Ah, I forgot!"

"What is it, Luka?"

"The explosion from this morning-"

"Ah that? Some soldiers are investigating the crash site now."

"Thanks!"

Getting up, I run off in the direction they pointed me in.

-Forest, Crash site-

"This is…wow…"

The crash site was suffice to say, amazing. Trees were destroyed, and the ground was even cracked and dented. I turned to one of the soldiers.

"Do you know what happened here?"

"Something large probably fell from the sky and landed here. From the destruction caused, whatever fell probably fell from a very high place. I'm surprised that whatever it was even survived the impact."

"Survived?"

"Yeah, when we got here, there was nothing here. Only this. We're worried that it might be a powerful monster, so we're going to take turns patrolling throughout the night."

"I see. Should I help?"

"No Luka, you should prepare for your baptism tomorrow."

"Alright then. See you."

"Good luck, Luka!"

XXX

-Later that day, Heaven-

Ilias was looking at her reflection furiously in a mirror. A massive, ugly purple bruise was blooming on her right cheek.

"That bitch…how dare she marr my perfect face like this! I swear the next time I get my hands on her…"

Nervously, Eden floated slowly towards her.

"Um…my Goddess…tomorrow is your birthday as well as the Day of Departure for Heroes, so you should get some rest…"

Ilias spun around furiously.

"DO YOU THINK I CAN GO DOWN TO THE HUMAN WORLD LOOKING LIKE THIS. And I can't even heal it by normal means too!"

"But-"

"No buts! I'm going to sleep until this heals!"

And just like that, Ilias vanished in a flash of holy light. Eden sighed.

"My Goddess…"

XXX

-Luka-

-Day of Departure, Ilias Village, Ilias Temple-

The head priest, other priests and myself have been waiting for almost an hour already. My heart was sinking faster and faster. Could it be, that Ilias has decided not to baptize me? As if hearing my thoughts, the head priest turned to me and said-

"Well…it seems that Ilias isn't coming after all. She won't celebrate in your coming of age or baptize you. Now leave."

The head priest's words pierced through my chest.

"Are…are you kidding me? Please…please tell me this is a joke…"

"No. Now go away."

And just like that, I left the temple in low spirits.

-Luka's House-

Depressed, I sat in my dark house. Outside, everyone was celebrating Ilias' birthday. But with all the curtains pulled shut, my house was as dim as my emotions.

"That's it…I'll never be able to become a Hero now…"

Suddenly, I heard a knock at my door. Sighing, I went to open it.

"Ah…it's you."

It was the soldier who helped me back after I chased off the Slime Girl.

"I heard that you weren't able to be baptized…I'm sorry for your loss. Betty told me to bring you some of her special stew to cheer you up."

I managed a weak smile as I accepted the pot from him.

"Thanks."

Suddenly, the soldier looked at me with serious eyes.

"Luka."

"Y-Yes?"

"I want to tell you something."

"W-What is it?"

"Yesterday…I met the Slime Girl."

"You did!?"

"Yes. And no matter what I did, I couldn't beat her. She just kept regenerating. In the end I ran away."

"I…see…"

"But you, Luka! You managed to chase her away. You are one of the village's strongest fighters."

"But…all I did was-"

"And that's why we don't care Luka. The whole village believes that you'll be able to become a fine Hero, baptized or not. So…believe in yourself. Got it?"

"Yeah. Thanks. I mean it."

"Well then. I have to get going. My wife is waiting for me. Bye."

"Bye."

The door closed.

"They all believe in me…huh."

Well, at least that's encouraging. I'll also have to thank Betty for the stew. Lighting the candles in the house, I began eating the stew.

"Hmm?"

I couldn't see it before because of the dim lighting, but there was a folded piece of paper tucked into the side handle of the pot. Unfolding it, I read the paper.

"…Ah…"

On it were messages of luck and encouragement from almost everyone in the village. As I read it, I felt something start bubbling up inside of me.

"That's right. Everyone does believe in me after all. Who cares if I'm not baptized! I'll still become the Hero I've always wanted to be!"

Finishing the stew with renewed vigor, I went back to packing my stuff for my quest to the Monster Lord's castle.

-Ilias Village, Evening-

Quietly, I opened the door to my house. By this time, most people would be returning to their homes and preparing dinner. Sneaking over to Betty's house, I placed the empty pot with letters from me to everyone inside it outside her door. She'll find it eventually.

"Thanks Betty…I'm going now."

And with that, I left Ilias Village…my hometown.

-Late evening, Dirt path-

"Hmm…maybe it wasn't such a good idea to leave this late…"

The sun was setting fast. I would have to set up camp soon. But suddenly!

"What do we have here…a traveler? No, an unbaptized Hero?"

A Slug Girl crawled out of the bushes to my right! In a hurry, I pulled out my sword.

"Yah!"

I swung my sword at her, but it just bounced off!

"Wha-"

"Hehhehheh…swing all you want, your sword will just bounce off the mucus all over me and my elastic body. Now…"

As the Slug Girl crawled nearer and nearer, I suddenly remembered her weakness.

"That's it!"

I pulled out a pouch of salt meant for cooking from my bag. The moment she saw it, her face darkened.

"Haha…this is your weakness, isn't it? Well then take this!"

With a swing of my arm, I threw a large handful of salt at the Slug Girl.

"Kyah!"

"Again!"

"No, stop!"

The shriveling Slug Girl suddenly escaped into the bushes.

"I did it! But I'm out of salt…and I hope I didn't hurt her too bad…"

"That was truly an…interesting battle."

Looking to my left, I saw someone emerge from the bushes, clapping slowly. Pointing my sword at the person, it raised its hands.

"Whoa hold on there, I'm a guy! A normal human!"

Slowly, the light of the setting sun shone on us and I could see him. He was a young man, maybe one or two years older than me. He had messy black hair and was wearing a short-sleeved dark blue top, black pants, travelling boots and a brown travelling cloak. I sheathed my sword.

"Oh…sorry, I thought you were a monster."

"It's alright. Seeing as today is Ilias' birthday, you wouldn't be a Hero heading for the Monster Lord's castle?"

"Well…I am but…I'm not baptized."

His face showed a look of interest.

"Not baptized?"

"Yeah…I waited about an hour but Ilias didn't show up…"

"She didn't…ha…"

I looked at him as he let out a short laugh.

"What's so funny about that?!"

"Nothing, nothing. It's just that there are rarely any unbaptized Heroes."

"You mean there were in the past?"

He shrugged.

"Who knows?"

I sighed. Our conversation was going nowhere.

"You know…I'm headed for the Monster Lord's castle too."

"You are?! Why?"

"For my own reasons~"

I looked at him for a while.

"…who are you?"

"Me? Well, before that, let me ask you, fake Hero. Why are you headed for the Monster Lord's Castle? Is it to kill the Monster Lord, like the ambition of every other Hero before you?"

Why am I going? After a minute, I answer with full confidence.

"No. I don't see all monsters as an enemy. Of course there are people who do, but I'm different. I don't hate monsters just because they're monsters. I don't even really hate the Monster Lord. I just want to stop her from doing evil things. I do not want to kill the Monster Lord. I don't want to kill any monster. I want a world where man and monster can coexist peacefully! If the Monster Lord gets in my way, I'll just have to defeat her! That's what I swore to myself!

He looked at me for a long while. Then, he laughed.

"What's so funny?!"

"Ahahaha! Hahaha! Ah, I never thought I would hear those words coming out of a Hero's mouth! I just can't stop laughing! That's the funniest thing I've heard this year!"

"Stop laughing dammit!"

Finally he stopped. He looked at me and gave me a big grin.

"You're interesting. Come on, follow me."

He turned around and walked in the opposite direction.

"Hey wait, where are you taking me!"

"Just follow me. Your journey can start tomorrow. Now, we're going to my place."

"You still haven't answered my question! Who are you!"

Tilting his head back to look at me, he grinned and said-

"I'm Bryan. Bryan Magecaster. Nice to meet you, fake Hero."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Magecaster**

And here's the second chapter! Thanks and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own MGQ

* * *

-Luka-

Carefully, I followed Bryan as he led me to his home. We had already gone around Ilias Village, and were now walking through a forest again.

"Where do you live anyway?"

"On the most southern part of the island, in the middle of this forest. "

"I've never heard of anyone living there."

"Well, despite being the closest village, it seems that your village has totally tried their best to erase us from the annals of their history."

"What?! Why?"

"They think that my family had dealings with monsters, that we lived with them."

"…do you?"

He shrugged.

"Haha, who knows."

Gah, I just can't seem to get a direct answer out of him. Suddenly, we heard a rustling sound in the bushes. And out popped-

"You again! The Slime Girl from before!"

"Oh? It's the shota from before!"

From beside me, I heard Bryan stifle a laugh.

"Kuh…shota…"

Does he know what it means? Whatever, I turned to face the Slime. But as I was about to draw my sword, Bryan stopped me.

"Let me handle this one."

"…don't kill her ok."

"Don't worry~"

Stepping in front of me, he said-

"Well hello there. What are you doing out at this hour?"

"I'm staaaarving, and I want something to eat! You look delicious too!"

"Hahaha, not a chance."

Reaching for his neck, Bryan held out a cross. No, it wasn't a cross. It had a circle around where the two lines met. Actually, it looked like a cross between a cross and a sword. It was gold, and red jewel filled the spaces in circle where the lines of the cross met.

"Now watch Luka."

The air suddenly seemed to shift, and even the Slime Girl looked confused.

"Eh? What's going on?"

"Magecaster Family Secret Art: Polygon Seal."

With a flick of his necklace, red lines suddenly formed around the Slime Girl and joined together, sealing her inside a freely shaped polygon-thing!

"Eh? What's this? Wah!"

"Come on, let's go."

Bryan left as the Slime Girl went off in the other direction. Catching up to him, I asked.

"You're a mage?"

"Well, yeah. But I'm also a warrior. In my family most of us are like mageknights. Warriors that can use magic."

"I see…what was that you just used?"

"It's a very simple seal, which requires no incantation. It simply locks a monster within a prison of magic energy. The monster can walk and act normally, but cannot touch anything outside it. It'll disappear after the magic absorbed."

"Absorbed?"

"You see, another thing about that seal is that it's designed to let the monster absorb magic from it. So when the seal fades, the monster will be full and won't attack humans. But, it only works on really low-level monsters. Anything a bit stronger and it's useless."

"I see…but that's great. The monster isn't harmed, and it won't attack humans after that either."

"Only a while though. At maximum a few days, maybe."

As we walked, the forest kept growing thicker. I don't think any of the villagers have ever been this far into the forest. And yet, there was a clearly visible footpath.

"Are you sure this is the right way?"

"Of course, we're almost there. Look."

Suddenly, ahead of us loomed a massive towering wrought iron gate. I gasped.

"It's huge! How do you open it?!"

"Like this."

Placing his hand on the gate, there was a small flash of red light, and the gates opened.

"Only Magecasters can open this gate. It's sealed by our family magic."

We continued walking. At first, the forest was just as thick as the outside, but the further we walked, the more the forest thinned out. However, the further in I walked, a funny feeling inside me grew bigger. I really could feel some sort of strong magic in the air.

"Alright, you can see it now."

Finally, the forest completely cleared. But an astounding sight awaited me. A massive mansion, several stories high and stretching for god knows how far was right in front of me. However, it seemed to be in slight state of disrepair…like there was no one living in it. In fact, none of the rooms had lights in them. Some of the windows were broken too.

'I know, it's a bit of a wreck, but it's definitely livable. You'll see."

Pulling open the double doors, I was astounded. The inside was sparkling clean and majestic.

"You see, we only clean the parts of the house we actually live in."

Actually live in?

"Um…can I ask something?"

"Shoot."

"…How many people…live here?"

Instantly, Bryan's face fell.

"…only three."

Three?! In such a huge mansion?!

"What ha-"

"Bryan?!"

We looked up. Walking down the stairs was a girl who seemed about Bryan's age. In fact, she looked a lot like him.

"Luka, meet my twin sister, Bella."

Bella looked at me in surprise.

"What? First you said you were going over to return her ribbon and now you bring back some random guest?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll explain later."

By now, the girl had already descended the stairs and stood in front of me.

"Hmm, you must be quite interesting to catch brother's eye. My name is Bella Magecaster, nice to meet you!"

"Ni-Nice to meet you too! I'm Luka, from Ilias Village."

"Ilias Village?"

"He's an unbaptized Hero," cut in Bryan.

"A Hero? Unbaptized?"

As she was about to ask me something else, I heard someone calling from inside, followed by a loud crash.

"Bella! Dinner is-hyaaaah!"

The twins just sighed. Then, all of a sudden, a woman walked into the hall!

"M-M-Monster?!"

"Hmm? Who is this?"

Monster! She was definitely a monster! A…a…Minotaurus! That's right, she had cow horns and hooves!

"Relax, Luka. She's Jasmine, a Holstaurus. Her family's been working for us since I don't even know when."

A Holstaurus? I've never heard of them before! Looking at me, Jasmine spoke up.

"Don't worry, I'm not a scary monster! A Holstaurus is evolved from more peaceful Minotaurus who live with humans! We 're completely peaceful and don't like violence, unlike most of our cousins! So it's ok!"

Well, she didn't seem to be attacking me. But wait, a monster?!

"…who are you all actually?"

At that moment, Bryan's stomach suddenly growled.

"Can we save this for after dinner? I'm starving…I really should have ate something before I left."

"Don't worry!" started Bella "Actually, I forgot that you weren't going to be here for a while and accidentally made too mush dinner! Enough for all of us, in fact!"

Bryan looked at me and grinned.

"Well then, it's settled! Time to eat!"

And just like that, I followed the three of them to the dining room and had a great dinner.

-Night, After dinner, Magecaster mansion main living room-

Finally, we finished dinner. Now, all four of us a were drinking tea in a large, comfortable living room. Bryan started talking.

"So, I bet that you're bursting with questions, right Luka?"

"Y-Yes…"

"Well then, before you start, I'll just go through a quick explanation of what my family, the Magecasters are. Hopefully that will already answer most of your questions."

"I guess so."

"Alright then. First and foremost. The most important thing about us."

I gulped, waiting for the answer.

"We all have monster blood running in our veins."

I nearly spit my tea out.

"WHAT?!"

Bryan simply took a sip of tea and continued.

"A long, long time ago, the first Magecaster, our ancestor met and fell in love with a powerful monster. How they met and knew each other was unknown. But one thing was sure, they fell in love. Before they even met, he and his existing family were already proficient in weapons and magic. According to him however, he was worried his family would not accept his monster lover. But they did. Soon, both the family of the man and the monster met. They approved of each other, and the two were married. Some existing members of my ancestor's family also married monsters. In time, they settled somewhere on Hellgondo itself. Ever since then, all of the man's descendants were either monsters or humans with monster blood in them. Thanks to that, the fighting skills and magic power of the Magecaster family's human members increased tremendously."

"I see. So…you too?"

"Yes. In our family we have a way of categorizing ourselves. Full blood are monsters. Half-bloods are the human offspring of a human, regardless of blood and a monster. Their fighting skills and magic power are the highest among their own generation. Some may also have monster traits. Quarter-bloods are the human offspring of a half-blood and a human. They are less powerful than half-bloods but are definitely powerful enough. Eighth-bloods are the human offspring of a quarter-blood and a human. They are less powerful than quarter-bloods and rarely have monster traits. Anyone that is below that is counted as human. However, the power levels only apply at birth. Through training, even a trained Magecaster human can be more powerful than an untrained half-blood. The talent is there, sure, but it needs honing."

I had no idea what that long explanation was for, but I more or less understood.

"And you?"

"Half-blood, both of us. Our mother was…well, a Succubus. But strangely among them was that she was a timid one. Less violent and lust-seeking than normal Succubi. But she was still a Succubus. Bella inherited our mother's power. As for me…being the next, I mean current head of the family, the blood of the monster that married our first ancestor flows in my veins."

"…Eh?"

"For some reason, only the first male offspring of the current family head will have the blood of our ancestral mother flowing in him. In other words, a direct descendant. Starting from halfway through the time my family had been around, determining the family head was easy, since not as many people have her blood. But in the early days, the family head was decided in duels. Non-fatal, or course."

"I…see…so, why are you here now, on Ilias continent instead of Hellgondo?"

"Ah, that's definitely interesting. At some point in time…around the time of the Fifth Monster Lord, one of our family members predicted the future, that a disaster was going to happen to the family. And so, my family vacated the premises. About a week later, a meteor fell from the sky and destroyed the mansion."

"That happened?!"

Out of the corner, I noticed Bella shooting a funny look at her brother, but I ignored it.

"Anyways, my family decided to move to the furthest place possible from monsters, which is Ilias continent. Also, being near the main temple of Ilias was convenient."

"But, Ilias hates monsters!"

"Exactly. No one would ever expect that a family so involved with monsters would move to a place so near to Ilias, and therefore anyone that may be trying to pursue us would neglect to search here, or not search so thoroughly."

"I see…but then…why is this house so empty?"

Bryan's face fell.

"Ah. Well…you see, some of my family members were…afraid."

"Afraid?"

"Yes, afraid. Afraid that Ilias or whoever was after them would and were still trying to kill them. So, they ran."

"Ran?"

"Well, to put in a nicer way, they 'migrated'."

"Migrated?"

"Yes. As of today, there are probably between a dozen to two dozen Magecasters hiding all over the Sentora continent. I know that there are two on Ilias continent, and I do still meet them. They are all hiding. Hiding their power, their blood, their magic. To prevent from attracting attention."

"But that doesn't explain why you two are the only ones here. Other than Jasmine."

"Of course it doesn't. Another tragedy struck, and no one saw it coming. In the time of my great-great-grandfather, members of our family, both human and monster, who lived in this mansion, started to catch a disease. First, it would seem like a light fever, then it would grow worse, then the victim would seem to be in great pain, and finally, they would die."

"Wh-What was it?"

"We didn't know. So we simply called it 'The Magecaster Disease'."

"Did you find a cure?"

"All the most proficient mages, alchemists, healers, you name it, in my family worked day and night to find the cure. By the time of my great-grandfather, one-third of the family had died. As I said before, some ran away, thinking that the disease would only affect those in the mansion. And surprisingly enough, they were right. After much research, we found out that the longer you stayed in this mansion, the further the disease would progress."

I almost felt like running out at this point. I mean, SERIOUSLY?! A disease that kills you the longer you stay in this mansion?! Bryan must have seen my face, because he sighed and continued.

"Relax, I haven't finished. In time, they managed to make potions to delay the effects, but not stop it. Time passed. More and more of us were dying. Finally, when the two of us were nine, it was finally completed. The cure. Everyone took it. However, it seemed that after a certain point, the cure would no longer work, but would only relieve the victim after he had died of the disease. In the end, only Jasmine, Bella and I were able to survive. Everyone else slowly died off, but my parents died last, when we were 12. To be honest, there were only about 30 or 40 of us in the mansion when the cure was completed. Over the course of three years, my sister and I slowly watched everyone die."

Bryan fell silent. He must be saddened, for I just made him relive his painful past.

"I'm sorry…I made you relive that painful past, didn't I?"

He shook his head. When he looked up at me, his eyes were full of fire and determination.

"No. Not one day goes by where I don't think about what happened to my family. For the past nine years, I have studied and trained hard in preparation. I continued the works of my family and researched the cause of the disease."

"Hey! What about me!" added Bella.

"Yes sis, you helped to. And trained hard as well."

"Ehehe, just kidding, I know I'll never be as good as you, 25th head."

"Whatever. Anyway, any more questions?"

"Well…have you found the culprit yet?"

Bryan paused for a moment.

"Maybe, but I'm not sure. I need more confirmation."

"Is that why you're going to the Monster Lord's Castle? To ask the Monster Lord is she did it?"

"What? Of course no-, I mean, yes! Yes, that's why I'm going! To ask the Monster Lord if she did it! And if she didn't, who did!"

From beside me, I could see Bella facepalming and muttering.

"Idiot…"

Suddenly, Bryan stood up.

"Alright then, now that we're rested enough, it's time for training!"

"What?"

'Well Luka, you are going to travel three continents. You're gonna have to be pretty good with your sword if you want to reach the castle alive and a virgin!"

"What was that?!"

"So with that, let's go!"

"Wait!"

-Underground combat training room-

I followed the three of them down some stairs until finally, we reached a massive stone room. It. Was. Huge! I could have easily fit two of my house in here! Also, lining the walls were so many weapons that my eyes spun. I didn't even know some of them! As I stood there with my mouth wide open, Bryan pulled a sword from its place on the wall and pointed it at me.

"Well then Luka, are you ready? It's time to show me what you've got!"

"Wait, we're using real swords?!"

"Well duh, a wooden one just doesn't feel the same. Don't worry, we'll only aim to disarm."

"Alright then."

Drawing the Iron Sword which the village blacksmith custom made for me, I faced Bryan.

"On the count of three then!" yelled Bella. "One, two, three!"

"Haaah!"

-A few seconds later-

"Luka. How do I put this. You're a terrible swordsman."

How on earth did that happen?! All I made was one move and in less than ten seconds, I was disarmed and on my back! Bryan was squatting next to me.

"Maybe I was a bit too hard on you for your first time. Alright, let's try again. Once again, the aim is to disarm, but I'll only defend this time."

He helped me up, and I prepared myself again. This time, I would definitely be more careful. I remembered my short fight with the Slime Girl. Big attacks are strong, but are easy to avoid. So, I'll use small attacks!

"Haah!"

*CLING!*

"Yaaah!"

*KLAAANG!*

The sound of clashing swords rand through the chamber as I tried my best, but he was blocking everything with no problem! Just how good is he?!

"{Sigh}"

Suddenly, with a bored look on his face, he deflected my attack with a flick of his sword and hitting my wrist with the flat of his sword, made me drop mine!

"Dammit!"

With a sigh, Bryan looked at me.

"Where did you learn your technique? It's so horrible, it pains me to watch."

Horrible technique? I practiced every single day… and he calls it horrible? And why do I have this weird feeling of déjà vu?

"What are you saying, Bryan… I've been training for more than five years!"

"Five years! It's almost like it was your first time! No scratch that, it's like you've only trained for a month, at most! Just what were you wasting your time doing?"

"I learned it from pilgrims who came to the temple. I mixed the different things into my own style."

Bryan pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose.

"Your own style…of course. You didn't even learn the basics did you? Sword stance, feet movements?"

"Well…um…"

He sighed again.

"Looks like we have a lot of work to do. Come on Luka, let's get started."

"R-Right…"

Well, it seems like I should have learnt from a proper master…

-One hour later-

"Alright then, it looks like those five years didn't completely go to waste. You're stronger than you look, and you re-learnt the basics rather quickly. You must have already knew them, but neglected practice."

"I guess so…"

"But basics aren't enough. Let me think…alright, I think I have the perfect skill for you."

"Please teach me…"

-About one hour later-

"Right there, you need to use your feet as you swing. Don't just use you your arm strength when you swing your sword."

"Like this…"

"Hmm. Not bad."

Using me feet like that, I don't really need to rely so much on brute strength. It's just right for my small stature. Bryan started talking.

"This technique is called 'Demon Decapitation'. It's a great technique for you. A small body is good for when you dash in and cut the enemy's neck. It is said that the Dark Elf Zack was able to decapitate 100 humans with that move."

"Eh? Decapitate what?! This isn't a very…Hero-like skill…"

"Beggars can't be choosers."

"That's true, but still, Dark Elf…"

"Put a can in it, will you? We're practicing it right now."

"Eh?!"

Drawing his sword, Bryan faced my in a ready position.

"Anytime Luka."

Preparing myself, I wait a few seconds before dashing in.

"Demon Decapitation!"

I swung the sword, but Bryan dodged it by just taking one step!

"Geh!"

"You didn't really think you would hit me right."

"…"

Of course I wouldn't. And with that, Bryan put away his sword.

"Well then, next we'll be training your evasion."

"How?"

"Jasmine, you're up!"

"Alright!"

I watched as Jasmine walked towards a weapon rack…and grabbed one of the largest weapons in the room!

"WHAT IS THAT?!"

It was some kind of polearm on steroids! Like, a mix of a blade, a spear and a battleaxe!

"It's my custom made weapon!"

Lifting in with JUST ONE ARM, she brought the blade part down on the ground with a loud crashing sound, leaving a huge mark in the stone floor.

"She may be a Holstaurus, but she's just as strong as any other Minotaurus!" yelled Bryan. "Now, you have to avoid her attacks for one hour or until she tires and gives up!"

"WAIT WHAT?!"

"Good luck!"

"Ei!"

"GYAAAAH!"

Ah…I don't think I'll even survive this, let alone the Monster Lord's Castle…Ilias save me…

-Later that night, Guest room-

After a much needed bath, I just fell right onto the bed. Never in my life have I felt so exhausted. Thank goodness I was small and quite fast. I think my sword might have snapped in two if I had tried to block that…thing.

"Will I ever get stronger…"

Rolling over, I sighed. But then I thought back. Bryan was a lot like me. He lost his parents too. At first, I felt that travelling by myself would have been a bit lonely…but now I have a partner! That's right…a travelling…partner…

XXX

"Luka...oh brave Luka..."

"Hmm...mmm?"

I heard a voice calling me from somewhere.

"Ilias?!"

"Luka...you aren't baptized, and remain unblessed...However, never lose faith in yourself..."

"Ilias...just what do you mean?"

"Luka...unblessed Hero Luka...I'll always be watching after you..."

"I...Ilias!"

XXX

-The next morning-

*SLAM*

I woke up with a gasp at the loud sound and fell off the bed. I thought that I saw Ilias in my dream again...

"Time to get up, Luka! This be no time to be oversleeping!"

I sat up and saw a ridiculously energetic Bryan in the doorway.

"Morning..."

"Why are you looking so groggy! Our quest starts today!"

"R-Right!"

-Later that morning-

After a great breakfast made by Bella and Jasmine, we stood at the front door of the mansion.

"I've repacked your bags while you were sleeping, and put in some more things you might need, and added more food, I noticed Luka was out of salt, also-"

"Relax, Bella. We'll be fine. We can always get more supplies while we're travelling."

"…please be safe, ok?"

"Don't worry! Jeez."

Suddenly, she ran forward and gave her brother a tight hug. After a few seconds, she let go. And to my surprise, gave me a hug too.

"You too Luka! Come back safe, alright!"

"Got it!"

Jasmine too, gave us each a hug.

"I also put in two bottles of fresh milk in your bags. I know it'll probably only last you till Iliasburg, but-"

"Thanks, Jasmine."

She nodded.

"In that case, we're leaving!"

"Thanks for everything, Bella, Jasmine!"

"Have a safe trip you two!"

"Byeee!"

Finally, the two of us reached the outer gates. With a big grin, Bryan looked at me.

"Well then Luka, our amazing quest of awesomeness starts here!"

Giddy with excitement, I replied-

"Yeah! We'll take any obstacle that comes at us head on!"

And like a pair of laughing idiots, we finally started our quest.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Crossed Swords**

And here is Chapter 3…I wonder if anyone is actually reading this, since 'Monster Girls Quest' isn't available in the 'Games' section. A review would be really helpful! Anyway, please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own MGQ

* * *

-Luka-

-Dirt road-

We were heading north at a steady pace. At this rate, we should reach Iliasburg just before evening. I've only been to Iliasburg once, a few years ago. It was a really big city. I took a wagon, so we weren't attacked by any monsters.

"The main streets were filled with adventures, merchants and all sorts of people. Tons of things are sold in shops too."

Bryan laughed a short laugh.

"I agree, Iliasburg is quite impressive, considering the size of this continent, but you haven't been to Sentora yet, have you?"

"You have?"

"Yup."

"Wow…hmm?"

As we walked, something strange was lying in the middle of the road.

"What is this?"

Well, it was definitely a plant, but why was it in the middle of the road?

"Hey Bryan do you know what this…is?"

I looked around, but I couldn't see him. Did he already go on ahead? But more importantly, what was this? Finally, I decided to pull it out. It was blocking the road, after all. Well, I could just walk around it…but it might block horse carriages and wagons. So, I pulled it out.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Eh?"

A loud scream ripped through the air as I pulled on the leaf. And the second I heard it, my body became paralyzed. What the hell?!

"What the hell are you doing? I was finally asleep too!"

"I'm really sorry…eh? I can't…move…my…body?!"

After falling backwards, I couldn't even move. My body just wouldn't respond.

"That's because you heard my scream. I'm a Mandragora, after all."

I really couldn't move! This is bad!

"Well, I guess I'll go back to sleep now…but a snack will definitely help me sleep better."

Oh crap! She means my semen doesn't she!

"No way!"

I tried to move, but my body completely wouldn't respond!

"Are you trying to resist…well then…"

And she buried her face in my groin!

"Stop it!"

"Fufufu…want something better?"

"No!"

Grabbing onto me, I watched in horror as she reached for my penis! With renewed strength, I make one last desperate struggle, and my body finally responded!

"Gyah! You don't know went to give up, do you?!"

Picking up my sword, I felt energy fill my body, and my readied myself.

"Demon Decapitation!"

I did it! With a quick dash and thrust, I landed a critical hit on the Mandragora!

"Ah…"

But what I saw next made me stagger. A fairly large wound was on the Mandragora's neck, and was bleeding all over her!

"Fine, I'll go sleep somewhere else!"

The Mandragora dove back into the ground!

"Haa…haa…"

That was close…really close…if that paralysis had lasted a bit longer, I would have been food…

"Geez, you really don't know how to mind your own business, do you?"

And all of a sudden, Bryan dropped down from a tree to my left.

"You were here all this time?!"

"Yeah, I wanted to see how you would react to the Mandragora. And it turns out, you're an idiot."

"…"

"I think I'm going to have to keep a closer eye on you from now on."

"Sorry…"

"But still, you just had to pull out that sleeping Mandragora and attack her…although I do understand, she would have eaten you, or sucked you off. But it was your fault in the first place."

"But, if a carriage or wagon-"

"Nonsense. Even asleep, she would have felt the vibrations in the ground and went somewhere else."

"…"

"Oh well, what has been done can't be undone…what's wrong?"

"Eh, oh nothing. I was just thinking…I didn't think she would bleed that much…I mean the Slime Girl couldn't bleed, but-"

"Most living things feel pain if you cut them, you know."

"I know…if only I could find a way to like…seal them. Like that spell of yours."

"Well…there is…something…"

"What?"

"I don't know if I should let you have it…let me think about it a bit more."

"O…k?"

And so, we continued walking.

XXX

As the sun went down, Iliasburg appeared before us! As we arrived at the gates, I whooped in joy.

"We're there! We're…what's wrong?"

Bryan was wearing an incredibly serious expression on his face.

"This feeling…it can't be…something's wrong."

"Eh?"

"Yes, it's definitely her…but why?"

"What is it?"

Suddenly, Bryan started walking into Iliasburg.

"Stay here Luka! I have to check something!"

"Hey wait!"

-Iliasburg, Main street-

"Haah…I couldn't catch up…"

Standing in the main street, it seems that Bryan and I had separated.

"What the…why does the city look so strange?"

Unlike the last time I was here, the city was completely devoid of people. I didn't see a single soul on my way in. It seems that everyone had barricaded themselves in their homes, and there was a tense atmosphere in the air. So, I ran down the main street to the city plaza. Noticing some sort of commotion in the plaza, I jumped behind a tree and hid.

"That's!"

Standing in the centre of the city plaza was a monster swordsman!

"How boring. Is there not a single strong person in the entire city?"

"Damn it…"

"She's…so strong!"

"Guh…"

Three soldiers were fighting her. Around them were about a dozen strong looking soldiers, all collapsed on the ground. Did she beat them by herself?!

"You three…are you going to fight or not?"

With the situation as it is, it seemed unlikely that the three soldiers stood any chance of winning.

"No way…she couldn't be…a dragon swordsman who wields a giant sword…one of the Four Heavenly Knights, Granberia?!"

Such a powerful boss in the first area…are you kidding me?!

"Only you three are left. Are you just going to stand around as I take over the city? Or is one of you going to be a Hero and face me!?"

All of a sudden, two of the soldiers charge at Granberia.

"That's the spirit."

"RAAAH!"

"TAKE THIS!"

"But even if you have the spirit, it's meaningless!"

And with a single swing of her flaming sword, she took them both down! The third soldier however, was cowering in a corner.

"Amazing…she took them down so easily…"

Even if Bryan was here, would he even be able to do anything? To be honest, I was envious of her strength.

"Haah…"

"Kuh…"

"They're all still breathing?"

Amazing…such skill…to be able to defeat opponents without killing them is much harder than just killing them…all that remained was that terrified soldier.

"Well then…what are you going to do?"

"Aieee!"

And just like that, he ran away. Granberia did not give chase either.

"A wise choice. But in the future, you can't call yourself a soldier, or a Hero either."

"Not good…"

"Is that it?! Are all of you alright with your city being taken over by a monster?!"

Granberia's voice echoes through the city, but everyone is still stuck in their homes. What should I do…there's nothing I can do to beat her. But…as a Hero, I just can't stand by and do nothing!

"HOLD IT!"

Summoning my courage, I step out from behind the tree and yell at Granberia. If I don't do anything here, all I'll ever be is a fake Hero!

"Oh? What was that, boy?"

She turned to face me. Just from her stare, I felt a crushing sense of oppression fill me.

"Gu…"

My body shook, my heart throbbed, my mouth dried up. Bryan was right. I am an idiot. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't instantly regret calling out to her.

"Oh, you're carrying a sword? Then I'll treat you as a warrior, not a boy. You have no problem with that, do you?"

"O-Of course not! Even someone like me is a warrior!"

"I understand…well then, the fire swordswoman Granberia will be your opponent!"

"Guh…"

Just standing in front of her made my legs feel like jelly.

"Now, give me your best shot!"

"YAH!"

Pulling back my sword, I attacked with all my strength!

"Eh?"

She…vanished? Suddenly, I feel something sweep me off my feet, causing me to fall over.

"Gyah!"

"You're too green. You challenged me while adults were hiding in cowardice. I can respect that. But you're young, so such a mistake is to be expected. But there won't be a second time."

"I'm…I'm not done yet!"

Picking myself up, I prepare myself, readying my stance for the only useful technique I know, my last trump card. I could see Granberia's eyes slightly widen in interest.

"That's-"

Taking advantage of the slight distraction, I dash in.

"Uooooooo!"

I put my entire being behind the attack I learnt from Bryan. Jumping forward, I imagine the feeling of cutting her neck. Bring the tip horizontal to her neck. Jump forward with my foot. Slice through the neck-

"This technique!"

In an impossibly fast move, Granberia dodges.

"Ah!"

No way, my best attack missed.

"Boy…how do you know a monster's technique?"

"Eh?"

"Your swordplay is sloppy, and you're still immature, there's no way you could have thought of that yourself. I want to know who taught you that move. WHO."

I didn't want to tell her about Bryan, so I told her a half-truth.

"My…teacher…"

"What is her name?"

"Hah…I don't…know…Why should I tell you?!"

Granberia looked at me for a long while. Finally, she grinned.

"Heh…I just remembered where we are…there's only one person I know on this continent that knows this move."

Spinning around, she yelled out to the sky.

"I know you're there! Come out, Bryan Magecaster!"

She…knows him?!

"Oh man, I thought I could enjoy the show a little longer…I even hid my presence."

I heard a snap of the fingers, and all of a sudden Bryan's form appeared on top of one of the roofs. Jumping to the ground, he started.

"The Heavenly Knight of Fire vs the Idiotic Fake Hero. I'm surprised he lasted long enough to use the move."

Once again, Granberia turned to face me.

"Boy, how did you meet him?"

"I-"

"I ran into him as he was about to head for the Monster Lord's Castle to 'Defeat the Monster Lord', haha."

Granberia's eyes widened a bit.

"Defeat? But-"

"Sshh. He doesn't know. Let's keep it a secret for now."

What were they talking about? While Granberia was distracted, I quickly ran towards him as fast as possible.

"Do-Do you know her?"

"I guess…we've fought a few times."

"You've FOUGHT her?!"

Ignoring me, Bryan turned to Granberia again.

"Well then, mind telling me the point of all this."

"Di-Didn't you hear already! I'm going to take ove-"

"Who's the liar now, Granberry?"

"Don't call me that, you little-!"

"You just wanted to test the soldiers and see if they were strong enough to protect themselves and the town, right?"

"No! I wanted to get rid of those annoying Heroes, so-"

"Did she order this?"

"…no."

Bryan sighed.

"Well then. Everyone has been defeated, what will you do now, Heavenly Knight Granberia? As you can see, there's a 'Hero' standing right behind me."

For some strange reason, they both suddenly had strange smiles on their faces.

"Of course, I shall treat him as I see fit."

"That's no good…I can't let my little student die like this? Besides, it's the long journey to the castle, and I do want someone to talk to."

Suddenly, Granberia raised her sword again.

"In that case, both of you have to be eliminated then."

"Alright then."

Hurriedly, I grabbed Bryan's arm.

"What are you doing?! You can't fight her! You don't even have a sword?"

"Oh, I don't?"

Stretching out his right arm, I saw a strange, reddish bracelet on his wrist.

"Hyperion, Release."

In a flash of red light, a scarlet, strange-looking gauntlet now covered Bryan's right arm from wrist to elbow.

"Hyperion, the Multi-Weapon. One of the Magecaster family's treasure, and the family head's weapon of choice for generations," said Granberia.

"You do remember. In that case, Hyperion: Schwertform."

Saying that, the gauntlet suddenly made a series of indescribable metallic sounds. Amazed, I watched as the gauntlet itself changed form into a sword in Bryan's right hand.

"Let's do this."

In a blink of an eye, they both vanished, and met, sword-to-sword, in the middle of the plaza.

"Fast…how strong is he?"

By now, they were already exchanging rapid blows, the sound of swords clashing echoing throughout the plaza. I could barely even see it. All I could do was follow Bryan's movements the best I could. Thrust, dodge, slash, thrust, duck, guard, stab, thrust, dodge, backstep, uppercut-

"Hyaah!"

As fast as lighting, Granberia stepped in for a Demon Decapitation! But Bryan managed to backflip away and counter with a thrust, which was deflected by Granberia. Then, spinning his sword like a propeller he charged. Granberia readied her stance, but he suddenly cancelled and jumped over her! Trying to get in a stab from behind, Granberia parried it with a massive backswing.

"Amazing…"

I was simply lost for words, just watching the battle.

"Hyperion: Schwertform: ver.2!"

Bryan jumped backwards as his sword slightly changed form, but not much was changed.

"Schlangeform!"

Suddenly, his sword broke into multiple segments, turning into something like a chain-whip covered in blades. With a single jerk of his arm, the sword-whip encircled Granberia, but just as the circle closed in rapidly, Granberia jumped!

"That's high!"

"Hraah!"

Immediately withdrawing his sword, Bryan called out again.

"Breitesschwertform: ver.1!"

Once again, his weapon transformed into a much larger sword, almost the same height as he was. Placing one hand on the flat of the blade, he lifted in up, just in time to block Granberia's massive sky attack.

"HAAAAAH!"

"Keh!"

Just in time, their swords collided. Bryan was forced to bend his legs and kneel on one knee while the ground he was standing on depressed into a small crater. A gust of wind even blew away from them. That was just how strong the impact was. And Bryan actually blocked it?! Is this really the power of a half-blood? Finally, Granberia jumped off and landed some distance away. Bryan stood up again.

"Ritterschwertform."

The broadsword shrunk down into a sword slightly longer than the first sword, and was also a bit wider at the top.

"The Demon Skull Beheading. I expected nothing less."

"You too. I had never thought someone else would be able to master the Flaming Swordswoman Signum's signature sword move, not to mention have the right equipment to begin with."

Once again, the two readied themselves again. Suddenly, flames covered Granberia's sword once more!

"Get ready, I'm about to get serious!"

"Me too!"

Just as Granberia was about to dash forward, Bryan drew his left hand back.

"Minor Magici: Niger Magicis."

And suddenly, a black magic circle appeared in his left hand.

"Crap!"

"Gradus II: "

The circle turned ice-blue.

"Glaciera!"

Crushing the circle into the palm of his hand, he threw something akin to a small ball of light-blue mana at Granberia's feet. The moment the ball touched the ground, large chunks of ice erupted out of it!

"Di-Did you get her?"

"Of course not. I was just showing off to you."

What…Anyway, at that moment, a flaming sword cut through the ice. Granberia looked sternly at Bryan.

"Magic is cheating."

"So is fire."

When it seemed like Granberia was about to argue back, she suddenly flinched. Bryan grinned.

"She realized you were missing?"

"Apparently so…" muttered Granberia.

Granberia started to argue with herself in a low, almost inaudible voice. Was she talking to someone through telepathy? Suddenly, she looked at us.

"It seems that I have to forfeit the match for now."

"Come on don't be like that, it's not forfeit when you're forced to."

For some reason, Granberia smiled.

"Yes, I guess so. Before I leave, I have one thing to ask. Boy, what is your name?"

"Lu-Luka!"

"I see. Very well Luka! The next time we meet, I shall challenge you to a proper duel! Bryan, you better train him well!"

"Oh, I will."

And with that, Granberia vanished and withdrew from the plaza. There was a few seconds of silence.

"…is she gone?"

"Yup."

Heaving a huge sigh, I collapsed on the ground.

"But still, I can't believe it…you actually drove Granberia away…just how strong are you?"

"Trust me, she's much stronger than me in terms of physical strength and swordsmanship. In fact, the only way I can truly beat her is if I bombard her with magic when she's not looking."

"Oh yeah, magic!"

That was in fact, the first time I've seen magic firsthand, and it was amazing! Just as I was about to ask Bryan about his relationship with Granberia, a few people started leaving their houses.

"Is…she gone? Did that monster run away?"

"Those two over there! I don't really get it, but it looks like those two boys drove her away!"

But I didn't really do anything…Suddenly, the city's residents rushed out of their houses and surrounded us.

"Thank you! A little bit longer, and it would have been a monster city!"

"Even though you two are so young, you were amazing! How did you drive away such a strong looking monster?"

"Err…well."

"Haha, you know what they say, don't judge a book by its cover."

After thanking us, the villagers slowly went back to their usual daily routine. None of the defeated soldiers were killed, peace finally returned to Iliasburg. I turned to Bryan.

"So, what now?"

"Well, we need a place to stay the night. Apparently the most famous inn in Iliasburg is the Sutherland Inn, let's go check the prices. If they're too high, we'll go look for a cheaper inn."

"Alright!"

-Sutherland Inn-

"It's more impressive than I thought it would look."

"It's more than 500 years old, but good maintenance and regular repairs keep in in good condition, I guess."

From the look of the inn, it seemed like it would be really expensive. The two of us went to check the price.

"2,4000,000 Gold per night, per person?!" I exclaimed.

"WHAT. Now that's plain ridiculous!" exclaimed Bryan as well.

"You…wouldn't happen to have that much, right?"

"…Well, the amount of treasures owned by my family is priceless, but right now I'm only carrying about 1000 Gold on my person…you?"

"500…"

Now, I really regretted I wasn't a baptized Hero. If I was, I could stay here for free! But there have been cases of Heroes abusing their Hero privileges…but I'm not that kind of person!

"Excuse me, can you step aside?"

It was one of the soldiers who I recalled was unconscious on the ground earlier.

"Hey owner, I'm a Hero. Give me the Hero rate to stay here."

"What stupidity is that! What kind of Hero instantly gets knocked out by a monster like that?!"

Shouting at him, the inn's owner kicked him out.

"But, I've been baptized as a Hero!"

"And I'm actually a monster in disguise! Get out!"

Scared by the owner, the soldier ran off. Also, both of us had extremely satisfying smiles on our faces. After the soldier disappeared, she turned to us and her expression softened.

Oh, you two! The ones that saved the city! Please, won't you stay here for the night?"

"Err…we don't have any money…"

"I'll give you the special Hero rate, 2 Gold per person. I'll bill the other 4,799, 996 Gold to Ilias Temple."

"Thank you…but I'm an unbaptized Hero…"

"That doesn't matter, the baptism doesn't make you a Hero, your actions do."

"!"

That comment felt like it hit me right on the head. That's right…if I act like a Hero, then I can be a Hero! Suddenly, Bryan stepped forward.

"Please ma'am, we can't just pay you 2 Gold each, and I don't think you should just bill it to Ilias Temple."

Pulling out a piece of paper, he wrote something on it. Putting away his…writing equipment? It didn't look like a quill at all. Tearing the paper in half, he threw one half into the air, which flew in the direction I recognized as where Bryan's mansion was. He then gave the other half to the owner.

"I have billed the Gold to my house, and the money will arrive by tonight."

"You shouldn't have! Fine then, you can pay. But in return, you have just bought yourselves a lifetime's stay at our inn!"

With a sigh, Bryan replied.

"Well, can't argue with that. Come on then Luka, let's go."

"R-Right!"

Thus, we earned a night's stay at the inn.

-Sutherland Inn Room-

"Ahh, I need to calm down. Wow, this is amazing."

Being from the country, I've never seen such an elaborate room before. The guest room I stayed in at Bryan's mansion was impressive, but this was on a whole other level. No wonder the price was so high. We had just enjoyed an amazing dinner, and were now enjoying dessert, Iliasburg's most famous snack, the Ama-Ama Dango, Bryan replied.

"The owner gave us the best room in the inn. Dinner's on the house too."

"Wow…"

When I too, had my share of the dango, the innkeeper came in and cleared the plates. We really were getting the VIP treatment. We heard earlier that the innkeeper was an especially influential person in the city, so if the town was taken over it would have really hurt her.

"How do you like the hotel's Ama-Ama Dango?"

"Even though it's incredibly sweet, it doesn't overpower the flavor of the dango. The chef has my compliments."

"Thanks for the compliment. But unfortunately, we haven't been able to get enough Happiness Honey, so I can't make anymore. That's our last batch. Since Happiness Village doesn't have any men anymore, I guess there's no helping it.

"Happiness Village is out of men? That's…intriguing…" stated Bryan.

Happiness Village is a village to the east of Iliasburg. They're primarily a beekeeping village which exports their Happiness Honey all over the world.

"Did something happen?" I asked.

"Hmm…well, if it's you two, you might be able to do something."

"Sure, we'll look into it," replied Bryan.

To be completely honest, I didn't want to delay my quest any further, but if monsters are the cause, then I must go help the village!

"Well then, have a good night, you two."

"Thank you!"

"Thanks, ma'am."

The owner left. Bryan flopped down onto his bed.

"Well then, it's been an extremely tiring day. Time to rest up and get ready for tomorrow!"

Actually…I had a question for him…but I really didn't want to deprive him of his sleep…he just fought one of the Four Heavenly Knights after all. Suddenly, I heard a sigh.

"Let me guess, you want to know how I met Granberia right?"

"Eh? Um…yes, but it can wait…"

Bryan sat up.

"No need, I would have told you sooner or later."

Well, at least he's willing to tell me.

"You know my family were all great mages and warriors right? Including the fact that we had monster blood, we were quite famous within monster society. Anyways, every few years or so Granberia would come to our mansion and challenge our strongest fighters. Not mages, warriors, of course."

"That makes sense. Did your ancestors win?"

"Last time I checked, we lost 80% of our duels with her. Only the best of the best managed to chalk up that 20%."

"I see…did you meet her when she came to challenge?"

"Well…it happened when I was 10. She came for a challenge, but she learnt about the disease affecting our family from our father. As I've already told you, all the remaining members of our family were weakened and near death. So, Granberia didn't challenge us anymore."

"…"

"Now that I look back, I was an idiot. I was just a little boy, pestering one of the strongest monsters in existence for a duel."

"YOU WHAT?!"

Bryan laughed.

"Yeah, I just kept following her around the mansion, asking for a challenge. At first she ignored me, then she admonished me, then she lectured me. Finally, she gave up."

"So, you dueled her? And then?"

"I was beaten in 30 seconds flat."

"I see…wait, THIRTY?!"

"Yeah."

"But that's amazing! Those soldiers couldn't even last 5 seconds!"

"I insisted on starting basic training since I was four. At that time I couldn't even hold my sword straight. Anyway, after she beat me, I was still ranting about another round. Then she flicked my forehead and said to me-"

"_Boy, you're still too young and naïve to fight me. However, at someone your age, I commend you for being able to even keep up with me, even by the smallest margin."_

"_So?!"_

"_Train and become stronger, boy! If you want to challenge me so bad, train and practice every single hour of a day! Then maybe, just maybe, you might be able to fight me as an equal."_

"And so. I practiced. I trained as hard as I could. I practiced combat to hone my physical skills, and magic to sharpen my mental abilities. After my parents' deaths, I trained even harder to be able to avenge them. At times, I literally lived in the training room itself."

Wow…that's just…I have no other way to put it, 'hardcore'. Compared to me, who was just some boy swinging a sword randomly in a small village, I was nothing.

"And then, four years later, she returned. When I was 14, she challenged me to a duel. The conditions of the duel were as follows. The time limit of the duel is 30 minutes. The aim of the duel is to disarm only. Blows on the body are allowed as long as they are not fatal. If Granberia disarms Bryan, it is her victory. If Bryan either disarms Granberia or is able to stay armed for the entire duration of the duel, it is his victory."

"I see…so what happened?"

"I timed out the match."

"You did?!"

"Yup. After 30 minutes, we were both armed and standing. The second Granberia announced my win, I immediately passed out. I had already exerted myself past my physical and mental limits."

"Wow…what happened after that?"

"After the duel, Granberia stayed at the mansion for one week, training me, giving me tips and pointers, as well as teaching me several monster techniques."

"So that's why you know them."

"Yes. After one week, she left. But before she left, she said to me."

"_I shall return in another four years' time to challenge you. And this time, it will be a real duel. No time outs. Be prepared, Bryan."_

"She came back for another duel?"

"Yeah, when I was 18, three years ago."

"And what happened in that duel?"

"It was a draw."

"Eh? But I thought you said-"

"By draw, it means that we both disarmed each other at the same time."

"I see. Wait, you actually disarmed her?!"

Bryan laughed.

"It was a pathetic end, actually. All I managed to do was loosen Granberia's grip and made her drop her sword. In my case however, my sword flew up into the air and stuck itself halfway into the ceiling. Also, the bones in my hands were completely shattered and there was a fracture running down the bones in both my arms."

I was completely amazed. He. Disarmed. Granberia.

"What happened after that?"

"Bella called a draw and came to check on me and performed a quick check on my body, then she started preparing my arms for healing with magic. As I was sitting there on the ground, Granberia walked towards me and lowered herself until we were at eye level. Then she smiled and said-

"_Congratulations Bryan. You have successfully disarmed me. From today onwards, we are equals. The next time we meet, I shall fight you with all my strength and flames, and I expect you to do the same. You will be a wonderful heir to the family."_

Bryan sighed and laid back down on the bed.

"And that's the story of myself and Granberia. Satisfied?"

"Y-Yes. And thank you for sharing with me."

"…You're welcome. Night Luka."

"Nite."

And thus, tired from our long day, we went to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: The Fake Hero vs The Four Bandits!**

And we have arrived at Chapter 4! If you have been reading the whole thing all this while since Chapter 1, thank you. Now, onwards!

Disclaimer: I don't own MGQ.

* * *

-Luka-

-Sutherland Inn Room, Morning-

"Mmm…"

Rubbing my eyes, I woke up from a good night's sleep. Bryan was already up and eating breakfast.

"Morning Luka."

"Morning."

After breakfast, we left the inn. The owner saw us off.

"Be sure to come again! I'll always welcome you!"

"Thanks for everything!" I shouted back.

-Iliasburg, Main plaza-

Once again, the two of us stood in the plaza. Unlike last time however, the streets were buzzing with activity. I turned to Bryan.

"Well then, shall we go and get supplies and equipment?"

"Sure. Lead the way!"

-Weapons Shop-

First, we headed to a weapons shop. Although the blacksmith back at home was great at smithing swords, there was no armor there.

"Woah, this looks good…and this one has jagged spikes all over it!"

Of course, we didn't have enough money to pay for that kind of armor.

"Idiot. How are you going to move in that?"

"I guess so…but what should I get?"

"Well, you're small. You don't have much strength, but you are quite speedy. Light armor would be good. How about this?"

Hmm. It was an ordinary looking shirt. It's plain looking, but seemed very well made. At that moment, the owner came to us.

"Ahh, you have good eyes sir. This shirt was woven in a special way, for maximum protection.

"Really?"

"It's a good piece of protective wear, even if it is quite plain. Recently it seems like Heroes have only been caring about looks though. Those kinds of people don't see how good this piece is. But you seem different though."

"I see! Alright, I'll take it!"

With both Bryan and the shopkeeper recommending it, it must be quite good.

"Even though it's a good piece of armor made in Enrika, it hasn't sold well because it looks too plain."

"Enrika? Where's that?"

"It's a small village to the south-west. Although they isolate themselves from the rest of the world, they make some pretty good armor."

Really? Even though I live in Ilias Village, I've never heard of it. Maybe I should visit it later and see if I can get some better equipment. Putting on the shirt, I look for Bryan, who was looking at some spears at the back of the store.

"I'm done!"

"It looks good on you."

"They still have a few more in stock? Do you want one?"

"No need. Everything I'm wearing now is magically reinforced, not to mention self-cleaning. This is only outfit I need when travelling."

"I see…that's convenient."

We left the shop. As we were about to leave Iliasburg, suddenly!

"Fufufu, I found you, my Hero!"

"Who is it?!"

Suddenly appearing before me was…

"…Who are you?"

Suddenly appearing before me was what seemed to be a reversed Lamia. Snake head, human body. Why does this exist. Why. Beside me, I could see Bryan gone and browsing a food stall.

"My name is Amira…and you have stolen my maiden heart."

Why is there even a monster in the city? But nobody seems to be paying attention to her.

"You filled me with love and courage. Ah, my sweet heart, an unbreakable dream…"

The thing that introduced herself as Amira seemed to be spouting out bad poetry at random. That's it. First, my failed baptism, then an endgame boss popped out, and now this.

"Excuse me, can I kill you?"

"I know how you feel, but calm down Luka," said Bryan as he reappeared next to me, eating a sandwich. Wait, didn't we just have breakfast?!

"If you want a world where humans and monsters coexist, it would include that thing as well."

"Why is it posing like that with no pants?"

"I have no choice. I only have this one C-"

Suddenly, in a move faster than when he fought Granberia, Bryan stuffed a large sandwich in Amira's mouth, silencing her.

"Alright, that's enough, no meta breaking in this world please."

What the hell is happening.

"Just go away and disappear…"

"Even if you are discriminating against me…everyone else does too…everyone throws stones at me…nobody will get close to me…not wanted by anyone, such sadness…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Well? Aren't you going to express your pity?"

At that moment, an old woman called out.

"Hey Amira! I made too much soup for lunch! Come by later and have some!"

"Oh Amira, there are some rats in my warehouse. Could you help me get rid of them?"

"Not wanted by anyone?"

This thing just gets more and more annoying.

"Bryan, can you drive this thing away, like you did with Granberia? Set her on fire or freeze her in a block of ice?"

"Don't rely on me, idiot. That was just a whim. I expect you to fight all your battles on your own from now on."

I sighed. I had already stopped caring.

"Well, putting my situation aside, I came to profess more than just my love to you. I have a request."

"Request?"

"Recently, a band of monster thieves have been rampaging around. Having fellow monsters do such a thing, it pains my heart. Everyone else is troubled too. Even though my appearances have quite the impact, my attacks don't. Could you do something in my stead?"

A band of thieves? Monster thieves? I didn't hear about this from the citizens earlier.

"Are you sure it isn't just a monster scare rumor?" questioned Bryan.

"Don't insult my information gathering! There is even supposed to be a Vampire and a Dragon.

"A Vampire?! And a Dragon?! Great. First Granberia, now this?!"

I looked to Bryan, but he was standing somewhere near the fountain and seemed to be muttering something to himself.

"Three days old…doesn't seem that fresh…as for power levels…hmm…"

Are all mages that randomly weird? I felt like grinding my head against a wall just to feel normal again. After a while, he came back.

"I just checked. There are either three, four or five bandits. The last time they were here was three days ago. And yes, a Vampire and Dragon are two of them. But it's strange…"

"What is?"

Bryan shook his head.

"Never mind, I'll figure it out once we get there."

"That aside, I'm surprised you found out about the bandits just by standing at the fountain. What were you doing?"

"Checking the water. Water is a substance that picks up traces of magic easily and the traces linger for quite a while. That aside, I've never heard of monsters that strong living in the countryside. And trust me, I would know."

That's true, I've never heard of monsters that powerful coming to this continent. Then again, Granberia was just here.

"Please Hero, can you not defeat the bandits?"

If I challenged something that powerful, I might die.

"Alright, we'll go take a look."

"Eeeeeh?!

He just agreed! Just like that! Well, if it's him, he might stand a chance, but still!

"…Fine, I'll look into it."

"Ah, just as expected from the man I love! My heart…kyuuuun!"

"I'll make you wear your heart as a hat. Whatever. Where is the thieves' hideout?"

"I don't know the exact position, but it should be to the west at the base of the mountain range."

"Alright, I'll go."

"As expected of my darling! I'll eagerly await your return!"

She left finally. Bryan turned to me.

"Say, would you have agreed if I didn't?"

"…"

"You definitely can't beat a Dragon or Vampire at your level you know."

"Aaaaargh I know! But I can't just leave things as they are! Because. I. Am. A. Hero!"

"A fake one."

"Gaaah…let's just go…"

And thus, we left Iliasburg.

-Somewhere outside Iliasburg-

As we walked, Bryan started talking.

"You know, in my opinion, since you don't really want to kill your enemy, you aren't actually using the full extent of your abilities."

"You already told me that yesterday."

"I know. And that's why I'm lending you…this!"

Reaching behind him, he unslung a bandage wrapped object from his back and handed it to me. Unwrapping it, I cringed.

"Eww…what is THAT?!"

"Angel Halo. It's the only sword of its kind in the world and it's extremely valuable."

"Eww…what the hell happened to it? It just looks plain evil. Holding this would be just like shouting 'Hey, I'm the bad guy!' to everyone. No way I'm using it."

"But it has those angels you love embedded in it!"

"It looks like they're being tortured."

"Well, in a way, yeah. This sword was made from 666 melted angels."

"WHAT?!"

"Just use it, dumbass."

Shoving it into my hands, I was a bit surprised. It looked heavy, but was actually quite light. Suddenly, I thought I heard a moan.

"You aren't joking, aren't you!?"

"No."

God…if I use this sword, would Ilias desert me? Bryan sighed.

"Look, listen up. I don't know the details, but simply put, this sword has angel magic in it. It'll seal away monsters you cut instead of killing them, Happy now?"

"It seals them?"

"Yes. Tested and proven with a billion-year warranty. Now go cut something!"

Bryan suddenly pushed me to the right, and all of a sudden, the ground broke!

"A traveler? How convenient…I'm hungry…"

"Geh! An Earthworm Girl!"

Readying my stance, I hesitated. Will this sword really seal monsters instead of killing them?

"Hah!"

"What the!? What is that sword?! My power is-draining?!"

So it does work! And although there was an obvious cut on the monster, it wasn't bleeding!

"Alright, I can go all out with this! Haaaiyah!"

XXX

-Bryan-

I stood to the side for a while, and returned when Luka finished. In front of him was a tiny wriggling earthworm. He looked at me.

"Hey, it actually worked!"

"Of course it would."

"Thanks! Now I can fight monsters without worry!"

And with that, he continued walking with a spring in his step. As I looked at his back, I smiled as I remembered her words.

"_I'm worried that they might try to attack the castle. Here, take this and keep it safe. That way, even if I fall the Angel Halo will still be safe and you can use it. Guard it with your life, alright?"_

Well, it's still with me, so it does count as still guarding it right?

"Ah, doesn't this mean I have to guard Luka as well? What a pain…"

"Hey, hurry up!"

"Coming!"

XXX

-Luka-

-Irina Mountains-

After a few hours, we reached the base of the mountains. But there was a big problem.

"Crap…how do I stop them if I don't know where they are?"

Looking somewhere else, Bryan replied.

"I don't think we have to worry Luka. They seem as stupid as you are."

"What?"

Suddenly, something small jumped out from behind a rock.

"A Goblin Girl?!"

"Yai! Give me your money!"

In front of me appeared a cute little monster…with a hammer way too big for her.

"No way, you're one of the bandits?!"

"Indeed! I'm the Goblin Bandit of the Four Bandits!"

"Eh? The Four Bandits?"

No way, this little girl is allied with a Vampire and Dragon? Maybe she's stronger than she looks.

"If you get it, give me all your money!"

"Um…I'm a Hero…I came to punish the bandits."

"Eeeeeeh? A weak looking shota like you?"

"Shut up! And what on earth is a shota anyway?! Besides, you look weak too!"

Anyways, if she is one of the four bandits, then she should know where the hideout is. It looks like they were really stealing people's stuff too. Looks like I'll have to discipline her.

"That sword! Eww, it looks gross!"

"…"

"Whatever, bring it! I, The Goblin Bandit of the Earth of the Four Bandits shall defeat you and your gross sword!"

Tacking on 'the Earth' this time? Are they trying to mimic the Four Heavenly Knights?

"Eat this, Sand Hurricane!"

Suddenly, she picked up some sand and threw it in my face!

"Agh! Pleh, hey!"

"An opening! Earth Crashing Goblin!"

She raised her hammer and started to approach me slowly! Slowly. Slowly…slowly…what the hell. I don't even want to know why anymore.

"Earth Crashing Goblin!"

I easily dodged to the side. But to my surprise, it hit the ground with a massive crushing sound, leaving a small crater. Sure it was slow, but if it hit me I would have been done for.

"Such a slow attack will never hit me!

But all of a sudden, she dropped her hammer and tackled me with surprising speed, knocking me over!

"I got you now!"

Geh, she's much stronger than I thought she would be! For her size that is. As I looked around, I saw Bryan sitting on a rock reading a book. He's completely ignoring me! If it comes down to this…I've got it!

"Hehehe…prepare for- no, wait, stop! What are you doing! No! Ahaha!"

Tickling her enough to for her to lose her focus, I got free and slashed her with Angel Halo. Like I expected, the wound didn't bleed.

"I'll get you back for that!"

"How? You've dropped your hammer!"

"Eeh! Um…hehehe, I guess I'll just use my pleasure attacks!"

"…Demon Decapitation."

"Owie!"

Having dealt a critical hit, the Goblin Girl falls over.

"No, I won't lose!"

Grabbing hold of her hammer, she started swinging it in random circles.

"Ya! Yaa!"

…or is her hammer swinging her around? Either way, it'll never hit me.

"Ah!"

Suddenly, she tripped over rock and faceplanted onto the ground.

"…are you done?"

"Yeah…ya…waaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Out of strength, the Goblin Girl started crying.

"Where's your hideout?"

"Over there…"

Alright then. That's settled. Now what do I do with-

"She's running away!"

But before even reaching a few metres, she ran smack into an invisible wall.

"That's…Polygon Seal?"

"Yup."

The Goblin Girl stood up.

"Hah! So what? Even if you've defeated me, there's three more! A Lamia, a Vampire and a Dragon! There's no way you can win."

In response, Bryan wiggled his finger, causing the box to shake, knocking the Goblin Girl around inside it.

"Aaah, no, stop it!"

She was crying again.

"Haha, this is fun."

"Stop bullying her."

"Yeah, yeah. Well then, let's get going."

"Right!"

And thus, we left for the hideout, dragging the Goblin Girl behind us.

-Bandit hideout-

Entering the mouth of the cave, I started to worry. How was I going to face a Lamia, a Vampire, and a Dragon? Well, Bryan might help, but he doesn't look like he would. In fact, he was laughing silently.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing. Come on, let's keep going."

"Ok…"

As we walked, suddenly!

"Fufu…you came…"

"Who is it?!"

A Tiny Lamia appeared.

"It is I! Lamia Bandit of the Water of the Four Bandits."

"…"

"Hohoho! Are you scared speechless by me? Of course you are!"

Is this…really a Lamia? For sure, her bottom half is a snake, but…it's tiny. And cute.

"Umm…"

As the Tiny Lamia laughed in a ridiculous way, I felt a slight tinge of disappointment.

"Why do you look so disappointed? How could you have that face when facing me! Take this!"

And she wrapped her tail around me!

"Heeheehee…I'll squeeze you even harder."

"…"

She's wrapped around me, but it doesn't particularly hurt. She looks like she's putting so much effort into it too.

"Hahaha, wrapped by my powerful tail, all that's left is to strangle my prey."

Even though she threatened me like that, it feels more like a soft massage instead of something painful.

"Heeheehee, let me hear you scream in agony!"

"Up you go…"

I easily managed to pick her up and unwind her off me. Able to pick her up like this…she's really weak.

"…"

"…"

As I looked at her as I lifted her up, she started to cry.

"Waaaaaaaaaaah! Why didn't it work!?"

"Why? Well…"

As I placed her on the ground, she started throwing a tantrum, her tears flying all over. Is she going to run away?

"Grr…I won't forgive you for that!"

As she prepared for another attack, I sighed. I really didn't want to fight her, but naughty girls need to be disciplined!

-A few minutes later-

"Please let me go! I'm sowwy!"

Now, a sobbing Tiny Lamia was in a box of her own, next to the forlorn looking Goblin Girl.

"Well then, two more to go. Hey…are the other two also…?"

Bryan shrugged.

"Maybe. We'll just have to see for ourselves~"

"…"

Liar. You definitely know. Whatever. I was already used him not telling me anything.

"Let's go…"

"Alright! Everyone follow the fake Hero Luka!"

"GAAAARGH!"

-A few more minutes later-

As we continued walking, a voice floated out from inside the cave.

"Kukuku…you're pretty good to have beaten the Earth Goblin and Water Lamia…but I won't be so easy!"

And from the shadows, Vampire Girl appeared!

"I am the terror that flaps in the night, the Vampire Bandit of the Wind of the Four Bandits! I shall be your next opponent!"

"…"

"Kukuku, tonight I will feast on you!"

"…"

Well, it certainly is a Vampire, but a lot smaller than I expected. The cute little Vampire was laughing as she swung her mantle around.

"Umm…hey…"

Although I don't want to fight someone that small, I slowly took out my sword. Suddenly, the Vampire Girl dispersed into hundreds of bats!

"What-hey! Ow!"

The bats don't particularly hurt, but there are a lot of them. Even if she's small, I probably shouldn't take her lightly.

"You want it?"

"Y-Yes…"

"Hahaha, no."

…

"Uwah! You meanie!"

"Not fair! Let us out!"

I spun around.

"Hey! At least concentrate on my fight, will ya!"

He just lazily waved a hand in my direction.

"Whatever. Besides, aren't you the one supposed to be concentrating?"

"Huh? What?! Where did she go?!"

"Idiot."

After the bats flew away, I couldn't see her anywhere!

"Kukuku…I'm right here!"

"Eh?!"

And the Vampire Girl suddenly jumped on my back!

"…"

I picked up the vampire and took her off me.

"Hey! What are you doing!"

I held the helpless Vampire as she struggled in my grip. And as I expected, she started crying.

"Waaaah, why are you being so mean!"

"Sorry…"

I apologized as I slowly lowered the Vampire to the ground.

"Kusu…kusu…"

Wiping tears from her eyes, the tiny vampire stared at me. It doesn't look like she's going to run away yet.

"I won't forgive you for that! If it's come to this, I'll show you my true power! Just wait a second, I'll focus all my magic! Once I'm done, look into my eyes, ok?"

"…"

I lifted my arm to cover my eyes, and at that moment, I thought I felt her eyes shine.

"Hey! Why didn't you look! I told you to look!"

"Er…even if you told me to…"

"You! I won't give up yet!"

With a sigh, I readied Angel Halo to once again discipline a naughty monster girl.

-Another few more minutes later-

"Waaaaaah! Let me out! Let me out!"

"It's no use…we can't get out…"

"I wanna go hoooome!"

And just like that, we now had three little monsters caught in Bryan's magic boxes. I looked at them.

"You know, you called yourselves 'of Earth', 'of Water', and 'of Wind', but you didn't even use any of those attacks."

"We can't…we're only imitating the Four Heavenly Knights…" answered the Vampire Girl."

Well, I assumed as much. But still, while her techniques were weak, they could be incredibly dangerous. If I ever face an adult Vampire, I have to be careful. Bryan got up from his sitting position and stretched.

"Well then, three down, one to go!"

As we were about to keep going, a laugh echoed through the cave.

"Wahaha! Good job making it this far!"

"Wha?!"

"Well that's convenient. Looks like she came to greet us."

And from the back, Dragon Pup appeared!

"Gao!"

I knew it. Even though she's so tiny and cute, dragons are still very powerful. I shouldn't let me guard down.

"The last of the four, the Dragon of Fire of the Four Bandits shall be your opponent! Coming so far into our hideout, you must be a true Hero!"

"Bad little thieves like you need to be punished!"

I drew my sword. The desperate determination I had before coming here…is it finally time to use it?

"GAO!"

And suddenly, flames shot out of her mouth!

"Ah! Hothothothot!"

As I thought, even though she's tiny, Dragons are still very dangerous!"

"Woah, she actually lived up to her name this time."

"That's not the point here!" I snapped back.

Since this sword won't kill her, I'll attack with all my might!

"HAH!"

*GABOOOOONG*

"Geh, that's a hard head you got…"

My sword definitely hit her right on the head, but it didn't do anything! Her hard head is definitely much stronger than it looks…no matter how cute, a Dragon is still a Dragon. She can breathe fire, and even has super defense.

"Uuu…uuuuuu."

Even though my slash didn't do anything, she started tearing up. However, she shook the tears off.

"Uuuu…uga!"

"Hey, OW! That hurt!"

She just jumped and bit my arm! And it hurt!

"Ugaa! Ugaa!"

"Get off dammit!"

With all my strength, I pushed her off. But she quickly picked herself up and faced me. She's small, but a really troublesome opponent. I need to finish this off with my best shot.

"I'll end it with this!"

My image of a brave Hero was always like this…the valiant Hero standing up to a fire-breathing dragon, in a valiant battle to defend the kingdom. Well…the scenario is a little different than I imagined, but the time has finally arrived!

"Demon Decapitation!"

"Ugaaa!"

As I swung my sword, she swung her nails at me, and our attacks intersected! But my sword was longer, so I successfully attacked her!

"Uga!"

Taking the hit, the Dragon Pup fell on the ground.

"I…won?"

"Ugaga…uuuu…"

The Dragon Pup started crying. It doesn't look like she can fight back.

"I…won!"

Feeling the taste of victory, I sheathed my sword. In the heroic fight between Hero and Dragon, the Hero won!

"Finally it's over."

Bryan walked over with the three smaller bandits in their respective prisons and sealed the Dragon Pup as well.

"Now what?" I asked.

"Well…heheh…heheheh…"

"Um…are you alright? You're kinda giving off this…really ominous aura…"

"Oh, I'm fine…I'm fine…I just have some…questions, for them…kukukuku…"

I sweatdropped. One thing for sure, never get on Bryan's bad side.

-A few minutes later, Bandit Hideout Main Room-

"We're really sorry!"

"Please forgive us!"

"Spare us please!"

"Don't kill me!"

We were now in the main room of the bandits. Stolen goods were randomly placed everywhere. I was sitting on a stool watching the events unfold before me. Bryan was sitting on the stone table while the four bandits were in their respective boxes on the ground, apologizing profusely to him. To me, the scene looked like some petty criminals were asking forgiveness from their big criminal boss for something they messed up.

"And you call yourselves monsters, you can't even beat a fake Hero!"

"Uwaah! We're sorry!"

"We'll do better next time!"

…scratch that, it was exactly like goons groveling before their boss. And, hang on!

"Hey! What did you mean by that! Did you actually expect me to lose!"

Bryan shrugged.

"Maybe. To be honest I felt it was 50/50 when you fought the Dragon Pup."

"Whose side are you on anyway?!"

"My own."

Sometimes, I really felt like tearing my hair out when I'm around him. I sighed and asked the bandits.

"So, there were just four of you?"

"That's right…

"We could only find four…"

They responded while sobbing on the ground. So this was all the bandits were.

"Well then, what should we do with them, Luka?"

"Um…you decide…"

Yeah…I didn't really know what to do with four crying girls in front of me. Suddenly, the ominous aura was back, and Bryan has a creepy smile on his face.

"Well…there are so many lolicons and pedos nowadays…how about we open a loli monster brothel? I'm sure that many will be pleased…we'll be raking in money by the barrelfull…ahahahahahahah~"

The four bandits instantly shrank to the back of their boxes in fear and started crying again.

"Hiiiiiiii! Monster!"

"Nooooo I don't wanna!"

"Mommy!"

"I wanna go hooome! He's scary!"

"Oi, oi, are you serious? No way in hell I'll go with that."

"Why not? Monsters rape men all the time, this is mankind's revenge!"

"No! It's just wrong! That's not what I'm seeking!"

Bryan lazily waved a hand in my direction.

"I'm just pulling your leeeg…don't have to get so serious, fake Hero-chan."

"…"

I got up.

"If you need me, I'll be grinding my head against that wall over there until my head turns to mush."

Bryan laughed and turned back to the bandits.

"Well, first things first, we should get them to Iliasburg to apologize to the people. They were the ones who should decide what to do with them, not us, since they're the ones who were troubled by the bandits."

"Yeah…got it, you guys?"

"Yes…we'll apologize…"

Still crying, the four of them nodded. Just as Bryan turned around to leave, he turned back to face the bandits.

"Before we leave, what are your names?"

"I…don't have one…" said the Dragon Pup.

"Me neither…" said the Vampire Girl.

"I don't know my parents…" said the Tiny Lamia.

"I'm actually from a faraway place…" said the Goblin Girl.

"You all don't have names…and never knew your parents?" I asked.

"Yeah…"

That's actually…kinda sad…are all young monsters like this?

"Well then…I guess I'll just have to give you your names then."

Instantly, the four of them looked at Bryan in bewilderment. With a radiant smile, he pointed to each of them in turn.

"You're Yuugi," as he pointed to the Goblin Girl.

"You're Violet," as he pointed to the Tiny Lamia.

"You're Rosalie," as he pointed to the Vampire Girl.

"And you're Janette," as he pointed to the Dragon Pup.

The four bandits just stared at him with an indescribable look in their eyes…like they've found someone to look up to…or someone to be thankful for…at that moment, I felt really happy inside. Suddenly, the seals on the four bandits vanished.

"Come on then, you brats. Let's go apologize to the town."

And he left without saying anything else. The four bandits just stared blankly at his back for a while, then they all ran after him.

"Yes!"

"Ok!"

"Got it!"

"Let's go guys!"

I watched them run off with a smile. As I was about to leave too, I heard Bryan's voice echo from the tunnel.

"Oh, Luka! You're responsible for bringing all the stolen stuff back to Iliasburg!"

"…"

I looked around at the room full of stolen items.

"AAAAAARGGGHHHHH!"

-Later, Iliasburg-

"I'm really sorry for bothering you…"

"I'm so sorry…"

"I'm sorry…"

"So sorry…"

When I finally arrived at the central plaza, completely tired out from the multiple trips back and forth from bringing back the stolen goods (which thankfully, weren't that much at all), the four girls were apologizing over and over while being surrounded by the townsfolk.

"Geez…the bandits were little things like this?"

"I saw them a few times, and thought they may be kids. I guess it was true."

"We have to punish the bad boss dragon…"

I saw Bryan standing aside, watching everything fold out. I walked over to him.

"I finished…bringing back…all the…stolen goods…haaah…"

He looked at me blankly.

"…why did you even do that anyway?"

"But…you told me to!"

"That was a joke."

"…"

"…"

I turned around.

"I'm going to jump off the town wall."

"Hey, come back! You'll die! Lukaaaaaa!"

"It seems like they're sorry, why not forgive them? They must have had it hard too."

"There were a lot of monsters in the forest twenty years ago. When these bandits showed up, they fled."

"These bandits really didn't do much, we were just scared because there was a dragon and a vampire."

Luckily, it looked like they might forgive them. I relaxed a little.

"Well then," started the Sutherland Inn owner. "We forgive you, but you'll have to put in an honest day's work."

"Ok…"

"Thank you…"

"Hey dragon, can you breathe fire? If you can I'll give you a job."

"Hey goblin, you look pretty strong, do you want to work in the warehouse?"

It looks like they're accepting them the monster girls! I guess it'll be alright after all.

"What are your names? Oh, those are nice names."

"He gave them to us!" said Janette.

Instantly, all the heads turned in our direction.

"We-Well…they didn't have names…so I just gave them their names…" replied Bryan hastily.

"Ah, that's right!"

Janette walked forward and handed us a beautiful red gem. The solid red gem looked very valuable.

"You helped us so much. Let me give you this!"

"What is this? Don't tell me you-"

She shook her head furiously.

"No, no, we didn't steal it! Some rich people saw me at the hideout and they ran away! They dropped this gem! I think it's a really valuable treasure."

"I see…But is it alright to give us something so valuable?'

If I'm a true Hero, I shouldn't take stolen goods.

"I'll take good care of it," said Bryan accepting the gem.

"Hey, you're taking it?!"

"Of course? Would you refuse a cute little girl's gift?"

"That's not the point here!"

Some of the townspeople started laughing. I sighed. But when I sneaked a look at Bryan's face, I noticed his expression. He looked like he was thinking seriously about something, and in this case, the gem. That means that either it's actually really valuable, it has magical powers, it's a dangerous object, or something like that. But he probably won't tell me anyway, like everything else. He really is still a big mystery to me.

"Well then, why don't we spend the rest of our day at the Sutherland? I'm pretty tired."

"I'm the one that did all the work dammit!"

On the way to the inn…she appeared again.

"Just as I expected!"

"You! You came again!"

"Of course I came again," answered Amira. "I'm the surprise true heroine after all."

"No. You definitely aren't a hero or heroine of any kind at all."

"Actually, a wicked wizard turned me into this ugly sight. If I get a Hero's kiss, I'll return to my princess form…"

"No way. No way in hell."

"Sigh…very well, I shall take my leave for now! But fear not Luka! We are fated to meet agaaaaaain!"

We watched in silence as she ambled away.

"…What was that."

"Just ignore it. Let's go Luka, if you spend all your time being stupid, you'll never reach the Monster Lord's castle."

"Ah. Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Well then, the Sutherland awaits! Let's go!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: To Harpyness (?) Village!**

Aaaaaand welcome back to another chapter of Luka's the Idiotic Fake Hero's Misadventures! (lol) So anyway here's a new chapter, where Luka shoots down two areas with one sword! That made no sense whatsoever! Let's go!

Disclaimer: I don't own MGQ~

* * *

-Luka-

-Morning, Sutherland Inn Room-

I can hear the birds chirping outside.

"…up…"

I know I have to get up, but this bed is just so damn comfortable…

"Wa…p dammi…"

Come on…five more minutes…

"I SAID WAKE UP YOU IDIOT!"

"UWAAAGH!"

I was jolted awake as I was suddenly flipped out of my bed. I untangled myself from the sheets to see a…familiar face.

"Violet?!"

"Hee hee, morning Luka~"

Just as I was still trying to process what was going on, the room door opened, and Bryan stepped in with a loaded tray of food.

"Oh, you finally managed to get him up, Vi?"

"Yeah! I was really hard because he's a lazy bum!"

"Hey!"

Bryan just laughed.

"Well then, the owner is looking for you."

"Ah, she is?! Well, bye then!"

Violet slithered to the door, and gave us a cheery wave and smile before she left. Bryan set down the tray and started eating. I got up and followed suit.

"So, she's working here now?" I asked.

"Yup," replied Bryan "I went out to town earlier. Yuugi is working at the warehouse, Rose is helping the item shop, while Janet is spitting fire at the blacksmith's."

"I see…that's good for them!"

"Yeah, sure is."

And on that cheerful note, we finished the rest of our (delicious) breakfast.

-Later, Iliasburg Outskirts-

"Alright then, let's stop by Enrika quickly, then we'll head to Happiness Village to find out what happened."

There was a long silence as Bryan simply looked at me like I was an idiot.

"Um…did I say something wrong?"

"…do you even know where Enrika is?"

"Um…how far could it be?"

"Enrika is at the most southwestern side of this continent, while Happiness Village is literally opposite Enrika, on the other, most northeastern side of the continent. I'll be surprised if we can make the both trips and reach Happiness Village before evening, or maybe even nightfall."

I started sweating nervously.

"Luka…"

"Yes…"

"I know I've said this a lot…but…"

"…"

"You really are an idiot."

"GAAAAAH I KNOOOOW YOU'VE SAID THAT PLENTY OF TIMES ALREADYYYYY!"

-Far outskirts of Enrika-

"Is it this way? The forest is getting denser…"

"Yeah, Enrika is in this forest. Seriously though, why do you want to go there so bad?"

"Like I said, it's so close to my village, it's strange that I've never heard of it. I'm curious."

"If we keep getting sidetracked like this, we'll probably reach the Monster Lord Castle in about…I don't know, 5 years? 10 years, probably."

I simply ignored his sarcasm and kept following the barely visible dirt road. And all of a sudden, a monster appeared!

"Go back whence you came…a human like you must not approach."

An Elf! They are usually kind-hearted and friendly, but there are some that have fallen into darkness. They are called, Dark Elves.

"Why aren't humans allowed?"

"Because they are human. If you do not retreat, I will be forced to act."

"Geh…"

Pulling out my sword, I looked around. Once again, Bryan was nowhere to be seen. Well whatever. What was important was that I defeat the enemy in front of me!

-Some time later-

I watched as the weakened Dark Elf Mage fled from me.

"Phew…now that that's taken care of…"

Once again, Bryan appeared out of nowhere.

"That's strange…what's with all the Dark Elves…they shouldn't hang around in groups like that…and they shouldn't be here either…"

"Who knows? Shouldn't you?"

He just shrugged. I sighed.

"Let's keep going then."

-About an hour later-

"Ah, there it is!"

"Hm? Hey, Luka, wait up!"

Happy at finding the village, I walked in at a quick pace.

-Enrika-

"So this is Enrika?"

It's a very small village. There was also a strange atmosphere in the air. Is it peaceful? Mysterious? Either way, it was very strange.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, a lone woman walked out from the interior of the village. She stood out among the strange atmosphere penetrating the rest of the area.

"You…don't appear to be a merchant."

"That's right…I heard about this village from the blacksmith in Iliasburg."

"Please go away. Other than merchants who trade things we need, we don't allow anyone else in this village."

Surprisingly, it looked like they wouldn't let me into the village. A horribly exclusive village…

"No way…"

"You may take offense at our prohibition, but this is how we have lived for a very long time. If you are a sensible traveler, please leave us alone."

"I understand, sorry for troubling you."

I don't want to trample over people who want to live quietly. A true Hero would never do such things. As I bowed to the woman and turned to leave, the woman suddenly noticed my mother's ring.

"That ring! Could you be, Luka?!"

"Eh? That's right?"

Why would she know my name? I've never been to this village before.

"You really are Luka, aren't you…You've grown so big…"

"Um…do you know me?"

"Yes, my name is Micaela. I know your father and mother well."

The woman named Micaela introduced herself with some hesitation. Suddenly determination appeared in her eyes.

"But now, please turn back. When the time comes, we'll be able to talk."

"I understand."

Nothing I say would be of any use, I can see it in her eyes. Even if I stayed here, I wouldn't get anything else out of her. At that moment, Bryan ran up to me.

"Hey Luka, why did you-ah."

Upon seeing Micaela, Bryan's expression suddenly turned neutral.

"Ah…sorry Micaela, he insisted on coming, and I couldn't stop him."

She shook her head.

"No, it's not your fault."

Did they know each other?

"Come on Luka, we're leaving."

"Ah, right."

As we were leaving, Micaela walked up to Bryan.

"…Please protect him, alright?"

"…I'll take good care of him."

And on that note, we left Enrika.

-Road-

Once we were back on track, I turned to Bryan.

"Hey…..can you tell me…what that village is, exactly?"

After some hesitation, Bryan spoke up.

"It's…well…an Elf and human village."

"Elf and humans? Living together?"

"Yeah."

"I see…so that's why people aren't allowed to enter…because they're don't want to be discriminated against and want to live in peace."

"Mmm hmm."

"So…Micaela is…?"

"Micaela…is sort of the village leader, I guess."

"How did you meet her?"

"Well…when my parents died, quite a number of monsters and old family friends came to pay their respects over the month…Micaela was one of them."

"I see…but, why does she know me…say, did she ever say anything about me, or my parents?"

"Hmm? No…but…if Micaela knows your parents…no, it can't be…"

"What is it?"

Bryan just shook his head.

"It's nothing. Now come! We must reach Happiness Village before the sun sets!"

"Ah, right!"

XXX

-Evening, Happiness Village-

"I see it!"

"Well. I'm surprised we made it just as the sun is setting."

At first glance, it seemed like a peaceful farming village. Women are attending to the crops and there are beehives all over the place.

"It doesn't look like anything horrible is happening."

"…look closer, idiot."

"What are you…eh? Hey…why aren't there any men?"

I couldn't see any males anywhere…the only male I could see was a little boy helping to transport one of the hives. Even the heavy farming labour was being done by women. What was going on?

"Oh, travelers? Young ones, at that."

A woman who was working on a beehive nearby started talking to us.

"You came all the way here, but we really don't have anything to entertain a traveler with. Due to a shortage of manpower, we have a shortage of our popular Happiness Honey as well."

"Why do you have a shortage of manpower?

As I asked that, suddenly!

"Waa"

Suddenly, the young boy started screaming.

"What's going on?!"

Panicking, I ran in the direction of the scream. There, I saw…

"A Harpy!"

"Uwah! Help me!"

A Harpy was grabbing the boy, and was about to take off with him!

"Stop, let go of him!"

"Oh shoot! Gotta hurry~"

"Wait!"

Just as the Harpy was about to properly take flight, I heard Bryan's voice behind me.

"Hyperion: Pistoleform."

There was a sharp bang, a flash of red and the boy tumbled to the ground, completely safe. The Harpy however rolled in midair and landed on the ground, slightly off balance. Looking behind me, I saw Bryan holding his transformed Hyperion is his hand.

"Go, Luka!"

"Right!"

I left the boy in Bryan's care and ran forward to face the Harpy who had recovered.

"Ooow, that hurt! Did you do that!"

"No."

"Huh? I haven't seen you in this village before. Are you a traveler?"

The Harpy seemed to be sizing me up with her eyes. Suddenly, she smiled and licked her lips.

"You seem delicious…I'll take you back to my nest, and we can make lots of children. Or we can start making them here…be a good boy and make a lot of children with me~"

"Don't bet on it!"

XXX

"Haa…"

I breathed a sigh of relief as I put away my sword. Somehow, I managed to chase away the Harpy.

"What happened?!"

"The travelers drove the Harpy away? Amazing!"

One by one, the villagers slowly left their houses and gathered around us. As far as we could see, there was not a single older man.

"Driving off the Harpy, you must be really skilled!"

From among the crowd of villagers, an old woman with a stern face stood in front of us.

"Who are you?"

"I'm the village chief's wife…since he has been kidnapped, I am acting as the village chief."

"Village chief huh. A Harpy tried to kidnap a small boy, and none of you tried to help," started Bryan.

"…"

"Oi, Bryan!"

"But I can understand that. It is human nature to fear monsters, after all."

All the women fell silent at his words, and looked to the ground.

"Come on, Bryan…it isn't possible for all these weak women to fight the Harpies…"

The only thing to help these people is a brave Hero!

"…What can weak people like us do?" started the village chief's wife. "Travelers…we hate to impose, but we have a favor to ask of you…"

"We know. You want Luka to handle the Harpies for you, right?"

"Hey, why me only?!"

"…"

The old woman's face flashed with a bit of anger, but continued talking.

"I'm sure you are aware, but there are no men in this village. As you saw earlier, the harpies are kidnapping all our men."

"The man I married two months ago was kidnapped…"

"My new husband too! Even though he came from another village, he was kidnapped a month ago. Even my 14 year old son…"

"How horrible…wait, 14?!"

The woman blushed slightly.

"It's not what you think! He's adopted…"

"Oh, sorry…Anyway, what are they doing with all the kidnapped men?"

"We don't know…none of them have ever returned…Are they worked as slaves? Eaten as food? We have no idea…"

"How awful…"

I can't forgive them for doing something like this…such a terrible thing happening, will they ever accept monsters?

"With no men, this village is doomed to fade away. Please travelers, can you root out the harpies, and return peace to our village?"

At that moment, Bryan opened his mouth to say something, but I quickly cut across him.

"Of course I'll help you! Where are they taking all the men?"

"It seems like there's a settlement to the east of this village, in the forest…"

"Are you really going to defeat them?"

"Yay, thank you so much, travelers!"

"Well aren't you happy, this fake Hero is so easily influenced. Tell me, how many travelers have you sent into the forest in order to defeat the harpies?"

"Eh? What do you mean? I'm not the first?"

"…"

As the old woman hesitated, another woman spoke up.

"So far seven people have headed off to defeat them. None of them have returned."

"That many?!"

"See? They conveniently forgot to mention that to you. You're too trusting, Luka. If you succeed, they'll be happy. But if you fail, they'll just send another traveler to their deaths. The nature of humans is a horrifying one, isn't it?"

"…"

"We don't have a way to fight though…We're powerless."

"That still doesn't justify your actions of sending travelers to their deaths. Have you ever thought of asking soldiers for help? For sure the harpies are doing something bad, but you aren't any better."

"…"

"…"

No longer saying anything, the villagers all pointedly stared at the ground. Bryan sighed.

"Whatever…we'll still help though."

"Really?" asked one of the women.

"Yes. Right, Luka?"

"Yes!"

As the villagers started thanking us, I heard Bryan mutter something under his breath.

"Either way…I'll still have to go in and figure it out…she isn't the kind of person to do this…"

"Did you say something?"

"Hmm? Nope, nothing."

I sighed. That's just one more thing to shove into the 'Things-I-have-no-idea-about-about-Bryan' drawer.

"I'll go too!" one of the women suddenly shouted. "My husband died early due to a sickness. My only son, Mark was stolen by them! If he's still alive, I'm sure he's waiting for someone to go help him! As a mother I have to go!"

"It's too dangerous, Martha!"

"I'm coming too! It's just as the black-haired traveler said! In spite of the dire situation, we just hid in our homes! We're cowards."

"That's right! We have to defend the village!"

"My eyes are finally open. This is the village's problem."

In a few minutes, all the villagers were ready to go storm the Harpy village.

"But everyone…"

"It's too late, village chief. We've decided. We can't push and unrelated traveler to solve our problems."

"That's right. If we all band together, I'm sure we can do something."

Finally, Bryan had a smile on his face.

"That's great and all, but we can't just go blindly rushing in like morons. We need a plan. And this is what we'll do…"

-1 hour before the start of the plan, Guest House-

Bryan and I were taking short break in an unoccupied house before the start of our plan.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

I had been watching Bryan for a while, and he was just blankly staring into the darkening sky through the window.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing…"

"…Say…what is your real opinion on the Harpies?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Well, since you know so much about monsters…and have monster blood in you…do you know why the harpies are doing this?"

Bryan turned away from the window and bringing out a coin, he started flipping it.

"Well…I rather you find out yourself. Either way, tonight will be a big night for you."

With one more flip, Bryan flipped the coin onto the surface of the table, and amazingly, it landed on its edge and stayed upright.

"Tonight, you will learn…that there are always two sides to every coin…"

-Night, Forest-

Bryan and I stood at the edge of the forest. With one look at each other, we nodded and dashed off in different directions. As I ran, I remembered Bryan's plan.

"_Alright, listen up. The harpies are led by a queen, like most monster societies are. If we defeat the Queen Harpy, the rest of the harpies should fall into disorder. Luka and I will go into the forest and attempt to defeat her. When one of us finds her, he will engage her. If she is defeated, he will send up this signal. That is when you all rush in and take care of the other harpies. But if he is defeated, he will send up this signal, and the other one of us will go and confront her. Got it?_"

It seemed simple enough at the beginning, but this forest is really dark, and moving without alerting the harpies was hard enough. According to Bryan, harpies wake up early in the morning and go to sleep at sunset, but they should still have a few guards awake. As I swiftly ran through the forest, seeing numerous huts in the tree branches above me, I accidentally stepped on a twig!

"Ah, crap!"

"Is someone there?"

And all of a sudden, a pair of Harpy Twins appeared before me!

"Hey sis, I've never seen this boy before."

"You're right, what are you doing in a place like this?"

Oh no, I have to end this quick, before they call any more harpies! Drawing Angel Halo, I swiftly moved in for the attack!

-Some time later-

Finally, running at full speed, I ran towards the tallest tree with the largest house at the top. Those twins are sure to alert other harpies, so before I'm found!

"Do you need something from my house?"

I heard the sudden flap of wings from above me. Looking up, I saw an unusual sight.

"No way…"

Having landed, a lone, regal-looking Harpy was standing before me.

"Are you…the Queen Harpy?"

"Indeed I am. Do you need something from me? I have a pretty good guess though."

"I want you to stop kidnapping the villagers, and return the men. If you keep this up, humans will never be able to live peacefully with humans."

Before I resorted to my sword, I tried to reason with her. I doubt I can persuade her, but I have to try.

"You have that in reverse, human boy. We are forced to do this because humans cannot live peacefully with us."

"What do you mean?"

"I have no reason to explain myself to you. This is something of critical importance to us as well."

"I don't really get it, but if you aren't going to release them…"

I reluctantly drew my sword. It looks like I have no choice but to fight her.

"So it comes down to force, does it…Then allow me to show you the power of a Harpy Queen!"

Gah…this looks like it's going to be a difficult fight…I'll have to give it everything I got!

"Pointing a sword at a Queen is a rather big crime. No matter the reason, rape is always the punishment. I shall personally see to carrying out your punishment!"

"Hah!"

Swinging my sword, it connected with the Queen Harpy!

"I see…you aren't too bad with your sword."

"Eh? It hit? She didn't fly away like the others?"

"The Queen Harpy wouldn't fight in such a sloppy way. Now, prepare yourself!"

-Some time later-

"Ah!"

"Keh…"

Having finally dealt a critical blow to the Queen Harpy, she staggered backwards. Now, just one more strike!

"That's enough, Luka."

"Uwah!"

I suddenly felt a hard jerk on my collar as I was about to run forward, and I promptly fell backwards on my butt.

"Bryan?!"

"It's been a while…Irene."

"So it was you all along…Bryan?"

Once again, I was in utter shock.

"YOU. KNOW. HER."

"Well, we've met a few times, that's it."

I watched as the Queen Harpy, Irene, slowly got back up.

"You trained him well, Bryan."

"Nah, you were just holding back, weren't you?"

"Well, I can't deny that."

Great. I thought I defeated a strong opponent, only to learn that she was holding back. There goes my self-esteem.

"Well Luka…isn't there something you wanted to asked her?"

"Oh, right!"

I got up and faced the Queen Harpy, who was panting and slightly sweating. Hmm, looks like I'm not that bad after all! Suddenly, I heard Bryan sound the signal, and the villagers all ran out from their hiding places and ran to where we were.

"Charge!"

"Oh Ilias, give me strength!"

"I see…the villagers came to rescue the men…"

While the Queen Harpy was muttering that, the villagers surrounded her (and us).

"Queen, what's going on?!"

"Humans are attacking!"

It seems like all the sleeping harpies woke up from the noise. I held my sword before the Queen.

"Swear to me that you will release all the men. If you don't…I'll have to cut you…"

"I won't."

The Queen looked at the ground as she refused me. From beside me, I could hear Bryan mutter.

"Idiots…all of you…"

It looks like I have no choice. I have to seal her. As I raised my sword…

"Hey! Wait! Stop that!"

"Don't cut the Queen!"

Jumping out of the treehouses, men started to crowd around us. The men tried to force their way through the women and upon reaching the Queen, they stood around her, protecting her.

"Fa-Father?!"

"Mark! You're safe!"

The village women start to rush at the men with joy.

"What the hell is going on?!"

The men are well dressed, and all look healthy. No matter how you look at it, it doesn't look like they're forcefully being held here.

"Mark! What happened to you?"

"Mo-Mother…let me introduce you to my wife, Piana."

Mark pointed to a harpy next to him.

"And…this is our daughter, Pipi."

"…Grandma?"

The tiny harpy walked up to the woman and flapped her wings. Everywhere I turned was a similar scene.

"Father…what are you saying?"

"Well, I'm saying…um…this is your new stepmother."

"Ni-Nice to meet you…"

No matter where I looked.

"Impossible…you're the traveler we sent in a year ago!"

"Ah, I'm not a traveler anymore. I have seven children now."

It seems like all the kidnapped men got married to a harpy. I stared at the scene before me in disbelief.

"It's like that…the harpies are our wives and children…so will you please stop attacking them?"

"So this harpy…is my granddaughter?"

"And you're…my stepmother?"

"That's right…the harpies are our family now."

"Chief?!"

"You were still alive?!" exclaimed the village chief's wife.

"The harpies are our family, and so are the village women. We shouldn't allow our two families to fight against each other."

"That's right! Let's stop fighting!"

"…"

As all the village women stood around dumbfounded (myself included), the Queen Harpy began to speak.

"Since we can be nothing but female, we would be unable to breed if we did not borrow human males. However, with the hatred between monsters and humans, what other choice do we have?"

"But…you took every single one of them…"

"We don't want to die out. You can't just take them all away."

"We never hurt any of the men, and made sure they were happy."

"That's right, the men are too important to injure or force them against their will…"

"You mean, the men were enjoying being here?"

"Of course! They made me feel young again! Every night…hohoho…" said the village chief.

"I see…can I talk with you over there for a second?" said his wife.

"Eh? Wait, dear-Hii I can explain, really!"

"…"

What exactly should I do now?

"I'm sorry…as you can see, I have three more wives now."

"And how many kids?"

"Seven…two more next month."

"I'm glad father came back, but…I have two stepmothers and six stepsisters now?"

Similar disputes started to pop up everywhere. Bryan sighed.

"Well, as you can see, Luka. This is the real, main problem about monster coexistence. WOMEN."

"Watch your mouth," said the Queen Harpy as she slapped the back of Bryan's head with a wing.

"Ow! Hey!"

Well, the main problem was still there.

"What should we do, Bryan?"

"Well, this is the villagers' problem now. It's no longer in our hands."

"I guess you're right…"

Yeah. Now, it was up to the villager's to decide what to do. It's their family members after all.

"Everyone is a big family! Wouldn't that be the best!" exclaimed the village chief as his wife wrung his neck.

"Yeah! Let's combine Happiness Village and Harpy Village to form…Harpyness Village? No, that doesn't sound right."

"Well, I have lots of grandchildren now, so I don't mind."

"Like I said, they have to solve this themselves."

"Yeah…"

I wanted to speak up, but I really shouldn't involve myself in their affairs. Honestly, I don't think I could say anything to resolve this issue. This is the kind of world I'm aiming for, but seeing it in front of my eyes, I realized that it's going to be harder that I thought.

XXX

The arguments between the villagers and harpies continued for a while longer, until finally, an agreement was reached.

"Well then, we won't forcibly kidnap men from Happiness Village anymore."

"Hrm. And we will send men from our village to marry harpies. In return the harpies must help with farming and beekeeping in the village."

It seems as though they had finally reached an agreement. After that, they started to prepare a party. Harpy and human alike were dancing drunk in the village square. Compared to the previous tense atmosphere, this was much better.

"This is all thanks to you. On behalf of everyone in Happiness Village, let me thank you."

"Thank you, but something like this is natural for a Hero to do."

I may not be a Hero in title, but I am a Hero in actions! Therefore, I definitely am not a fake Hero.

"Speaking of which, where that friend of yours?"

"Hmm?"

Speaking of which, where was Bryan? I really wanted to find him and ask him some questions, but after some searching, I couldn't find him at all.

"Maybe he turned in early?"

"Hey boy! Have a drink!"

"Eh? Um, sure, thanks."

And just like that, I was swept up into the party, everything else forgotten to the back of my mind.

XXX

-Bryan-

"It sure seems lively…that's good."

Standing at the window, I could see the light of the village from here. Turning around, I addressed her.

"So…what did you want from me…Irene?"

The Queen Harpy was sitting nonchalantly in a chair, sipping her drink from a glass.

"I just wanted to talk with you…how's things going?"

"Same old…nothing much changed since…you know, the funeral…"

"I see…you must be lonely."

"No…I have Bella and Jasmine…so I'm happy enough."

Taking a drink from Irene, I downed it in one go.

"Well, enough of that, tell me the real reason you wanted me here."

As I said that, Irene smiled at me.

"You really are perceptive…well, lately, I've been thinking…"

"Mmm hmm."

"I want…a heir…"

Ah…I see where this is going.

"And well…I was thinking…who would be the perfect candidate to help me give birth to the next Queen Harpy? None other than the Magecaster heir, of course…"

As she said that, she walked up to me and placed her face up close to mine.

"So…will you spend the night with me…Bryan Magecaster?"

"Weeell…alright…how could I refuse anyway."

"Hehee…alright then…I'll give you a glimpse of my feathery heaven…"

XXX

-Luka-

-Next morning, Happiness Village-

After getting up and prepared, I left the guest house, only to run into Bryan.

"Ah, there you are! Where did you go last night?"

"Hmm? Oh, I turned in early."

"I…see…"

"Well then, it's time to set off! Let's go, fake Hero!"

As Bryan headed for the village entrance, I couldn't help notice he was more energetic today…and he seemed more refreshed as well…ah whatever, I'll just add that to my list of mysteries. Soon I'll have enough to write a book.

-Happiness Village Entrance-

All the villagers and harpies came to see us off before we left.

"We are greatly indebted to you, traveler," said the chief.

"Please come to our village again, we'll be glad to have you!"

"Here, as a token of appreciation, take these! We harvested enough for two jars!"

Bryan took the two jars of Happiness Honey and put them away.

"Thanks. We'll give one to the Sutherland Inn owner and keep one for ourselves."

The Queen seemed pretty happy herself.

"I'll send you a letter once I get the news!"

"Alright"

"What news?" I asked.

"Oh nothing," he replied. "Now, to Iliasport we go!"

* * *

Ugh, after four long hours, I finished this. Plus the oneshot I wrote earlier, that makes it four and a half hours of nonstop typing. It's 4.00am now, and my head actually hurts a little, so I'm gonna end it for tonight. Once again, thank you for reading, and stay tuned for the next chapter! Although it might take a while because I should go back to my other fics as well. Capitalism, ho!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Fluffy Tails and Revelations  
**

So, here is the Iliasport chapter! Finally, time for the long awaited divine tails of divine fluffiness…LET'S GET THAT BELL.

Disclaimer: I WANT FLUFFY TAILS

* * *

-Luka-

-Road-

"Finally, once we get to Iliasport, we'll be able to take a ship to Sentora!"

"Yup."

It's finally time to leave this continent…but we won't be able to come back here for a while…whatever! It's finally time for my quest to truly begin!

-Night-

"…"

"…"

"…Iliasport is further than I thought…and we left Happiness Village so early too…"

"Well, the Sutherland Inn owner wanted to thank us for the honey, so she made us lunch…and we ended up staying there for half a day…"

I sighed.

"Hey…how did you know the Queen Harpy anyway?"

"Well…my family has good relations with some of the Queens…and she did come to visit to pay her respects for my parents…"

"I see…"

Once again, I sighed.

"I wonder if I'll ever be able to be like Heinrich…"

"Heinrich…oh, him."

"500 years ago, he defeated the Monster Lord, and everyone lived happily ever after."

"What do you mean happily ever after? That sounds like it came straight out of a storybook."

"Geh…that's where I learnt about Heinrich from…I've read that book so many times I've learnt it by heart."

Bryan put down his plate and sighed.

"A word of advice Luka, you really shouldn't go around blabbing like that all over the place. You know, talking about Heroes killing monsters. If you want to build a peaceful world where everyone can coexist, you need to have some delicacy about that."

"Ah…you're right…monsters wouldn't really want to hear about that…"

"Then again…Heinrich defeating that Monster Lord is certainly worth some praise. She only cared about power, destruction and chaos. Human and monster alike feared her. Perhaps being slain by a Hero was something she brought upon herself."

"Brought down by her own mistakes…that's a cutting remark."

"Trying to rule by power is a savage act. You should expect to get savagery back."

"You're right…I wonder how the current Monster Lord is…"

The current Monster Lord is shrouded in mystery. No human has ever seen her, and even most monsters have only heard rumours…It's said that she may be extremely strong, and may even be the strongest Monster Lord yet…

"If they've declared full-scale war on humans, I guess they're the villains after all?"

If the Monster Lord is unable to listen to reason, then I have no choice but to fight her…she's ruining relations between humans and monsters after all…

"Full-scale war? Where did you hear that from?"

"Well…say, I wonder if the Slaughter of Remina was by her instruction as well, she must be a horrible person after all, don't you think?"

"Who knows…"

When I looked at Bryan, he was looking into the fire with a strange, almost melancholic expression on his face.

"Maybe…she's just…confused, that's all…whether humans…should be destroyed…"

"Bryan…do you…know the …Monster Lord? Don't tell me…you've seen her?!"

It's rumoured only the most important monsters have ever seen the Monster Lord…since Bryan knows Granberia…could he have met the Monster Lord before?!

"Yes…I know the Monster Lord…sort of…"

"Really?! No way!"

Suddenly, Bryan stood up.

"Well, for a change of topic, it's time to teach you a new move. Are you ready, Luka?"

"A new move! Of course I am!"

-Quite a while later-

"That's right, stabilize your upper body. Step forward with your foot, and quickly thrust into the enemy as I showed you."

"Like…this?'

I stepped forward and lunged quickly.

"Well…not bad I guess. You need to try that in actual combat now, not just training."

"Thanks…this is amazing technique!"

"It's said that Bloody Fernandez mastered this technique and covered the battlefield with her bloody thrusts…or that's what I heard. Using her Blood Fissure Thunder Thrust, she killed her enemies one after another, making a lake of blood."

"Once again, it's a shady sounding, bloody technique…"

Well…when I use it, I'll omit the 'Blood Fissure' part. Thunder Thrust sounds much better.

"This technique is most useful right at the start of combat. Use it in the first round of a match to unleash its full potential."

"I see…got it."

"Well then, time to turn in. Nite."

"Nite!"

XXX

"Luka…Oh brave Luka…"

"…"

I heard a voice calling me from somewhere…this is!

"Defeat the Monster Lord, Luka."

"Ye-Yes…"

"That's right…defeat the Monster Lord…"

XXX

"Ilias?!"

I opened my eyes to the soft, morning light. Jumping up, I looked around restlessly.

"As usual, you're acting like an idiot in the morning."

"Ahh Ilias, thank you for giving me your revelation!"

"…were you dropped on your head a lot when you were a child?"

"I'm just giving my gratitude to Ilias!"

"Whatever. Come on, food's getting cold!"

-Some time later-

"Haah…haah…we finally made it out of the forest…"

"Jeez, I can't believe you're having trouble with such weak monsters. How are you even going to survive Sentora?"

I just sighed.

"Alright, alright, I get it. Look, is that Iliasport?!"

"Hmm? Ah, yes it is."

"Well then let's go!"

XXX

-Iliasport-

"Hmm," muttered Bryan "That's odd…it doesn't seem too lively…"

"You're right…"

The port almost looked deserted. I thought there would be stores lining the streets, with merchants hawking their wares to all the passerbys…catching sight of a shopkeeper, I decided to ask him what was going on.

"Excuse me, is something happening in this port? It seems strangely deserted."

"Of course it's deserted. Since last year no one has made a round trip to the Sentora continent."

"Eh?!"

I've never heard of ships not being able to reach the Sentora continent. But then again, the amount of pilgrims to Ilias Temple has declined since last year…was this the reason?

"How come? What happened?"

"There's a terrible storm. Each time a ship tries to leave the coast, it is hit by a terrible storm."

"A storm? You don't mean that it always starts storming as they leave, do you?"

"Yes, every time. No matter how clear the sky is, whenever a ship sets out it starts storming."

"That can't be natural."

"As the rumours go, it's the work of monsters. They're harassing us or something, I really don't know."

"Hmm, I see," cut in Bryan suddenly.

"Do you know something?"

"I don't really know…there aren't that many monsters out there capable of just creating storms large enough to turn back ships as and when they please. In my opinion, a strong monster is blocking the ships from crossing or coming. Their goal is to probably prevent pilgrims from coming here and Heroes from leaving."

"That makes sense…it that case, we have to beat them!"

If it's a monster causing the storm, then all I have to do is beat them. Being unable to set sail must be causing hardship for the people in this port. I can't allow a monster to do such a thing.

"You wouldn't even be a match. First of all how are you going to even find it if she brings up a storm whenever ships go near?"

"Geh…"

His words pierced me right through the gut. He's right…but being unable to leave this continent is very bad. If I want to beat the Monster Lord, I can't just stay here.

"Well, what shall we do?"

"There's a way, my Hero!"

Unfortunate Lamia appeared.

"I am Amira, an Unfortunate Lamia. A snake swaying in the breeze."

"Oi oi…I thought you lived in Iliasburg."

"I am Amira, a snake that travels. In other words, a 'Snavel'. I follow my darling and sometimes go ahead to welcome him."

"I see…well then."

I turned around and started to walk away when Amira stopped me.

"Wait, darling! I'm not just an annoying character! For my darling, I collected information from the 'sort of' illegal information shop."

I sighed.

"Very well…what is it?"

"My three sizes, from above, are 275/78/93."

"I don't want to hear about that at all. Do you how I can get to Sentora?"

"From what I've gathered, if you leave the town and head east, you will come across a cave. In there lies the legendary treasure of the legendary pirate Captain Selene."

"The Captain Selene?!"

100 years ago, Captain Selene was a legendary pirate who traveled all over the seas. Even someone from the country like me has heard that legend.

"In that treasure trove seems to be the legendary 'Poseidon's Bell'. Carrying that bell, no matter how much the sea rages, the ship won't sink."

"I see…if that's true…"

If that really is Captain Selene's treasure, then a mysterious item like that may really be there. If we're able to get that bell, then we would be able to travel to Sentora continent!

"But the cave is a monster's den…many adventurers have tried to claim Selene's treasure…most that went looking never returned…Kyaa! Amira is scared!"

"Guh…"

I really wanted to cut this thing, but she gave me some valuable information today. I endured my rising urge to slash her.

"Amira's happy embarrassing information time ends here. Was I able to help you?"

"You made me slightly angry, but it was helpful."

"Then I shall leave with the breeze."

And she thankfully slithered away.

"A pirate's treasure…interesting."

"Yeah, it might be helpful too. Let's head for the cave then!"

XXX

-Night, En-route to the Treasure Cave-

"It's a lot further than I thought…"

"Guess so…"

I thought it would only take a few hours, but we're just halfway there. We decided to make camp in the middle.

"Come on," started Bryan "Pick up your sword, we're training."

"Right!"

-A few hours later-

"Haa…haa…"

That's my limit, I'm out of energy. I didn't learn a new technique tonight, I only improved my basics. Learning new techniques one after another would be hard to remember anyway.

"Luka, you have too many wasteful movements. It kills your speed and power."

"Even if you say that, I'm swinging with all I got."

"Your movements need to be like the wind, your body one with the earth, your mind as calm as the water's surface, and have fire in your sword…"

"…?"

"Granberia taught me that…it's the secret of fighting. If you can't get better, then beating the Monster Lord will be just a dream."

"Sorry but…I really have no idea what you're talking about…"

Saying strange zen things like that confuses my mind.

"That's because you're an idiot. Look. First, you have to focus your mind. Cross your legs and try meditating."

"Hmm…I'm not very good at these kinds of things…"

Taking a calming breath, I crossed my legs and sat down.

"…?"

Suddenly, I felt invigorated, like half my health had just recovered.

"Woah! What just happened?!"

Bryan looked at me in surprise.

"Well, I was not expecting that. It was said that the fallen angel Erigora was able to immediately heal her wounds by meditating."

He walked forward and started examining me closely.

"…What are you exactly? Is this a result of too much idiocy that it defies the rules of logic?"

"But, you said some fallen angel was able to heal herself by meditating!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were one! I really think you were dropped on your head so many times as a baby that you developed strange inhuman powers."

"That's not true! …I think…let me try again."

I meditated quietly and once again, I felt refreshed.

"See, I did it again!"

"What is that…I need to experiment…"

"Hey, stop poking me!"

Somehow or another, I seemed to have learnt a new ability.

"You really are strange…"

XXX

-The next morning, Treasure Cave entrance-

"Finally, we're here!"

Just as I was about to step inside, Bryan suddenly threw a hand out to stop me.

"What is it?"

And when I looked at Bryan, I noticed an incredibly intense look on his face…just like before we entered the Iliasburg occupied by Granberia.

"Is there…something powerful inside?"

Bryan simply nodded.

"Stay sharp, Luka."

I gulped.

"Got it…"

-Treasure Cave-

"…the walls of this cave seem pretty sturdy…"

"Yeah…maybe Selene's treasure really is here…"

"But don't you think there might be traps here?"

"Well, it seems like all the previous adventurers already triggered the traps, so I guess all we have to watch out for are the monsters."

"Yeah…ah!"

"Eh? Wawa, a human appeared!"

That's…a kitsune! This one only has two tails, so I might be able to take her on.

"Wawa, what should I do…I got separated from Tamamo, and now a human shows up…"

From beside me, I could have sworn I saw the blood drain out of Bryan's face.

"…Tamamo?"

I turned my attention back to the kitsune.

"I don't really get it, but if you're attacking humans I won't forgive you!"

"She told me not to let the humans take the 'Poseidon's Bell'! I won't let you by me!"

"Who told you not to?"

"That's a secret!"

"That name you said earlier, Tamamo, was it?"

"Auu…"

Looks like hit the bullseye.

"I need to get by. If you won't let me pass then I won't go easy on you!"

"Then…it's time for a match!"

-A few minutes later-

I watched as the tiny fox scamper away. Satisfied that she was gone, I turned to Bryan, who was sweating nervously, clutching the wall and mumbling to himself.

"Nonono…not her…anyone but her…please no…oh god why…"

"Um…hey…are you ok?"

After about half a minute, he took a deep breath and calmed himself down.

"Yeah, I'm alright, thanks."

"You had a minor panic attack there, did something happen?"

He turned away from me.

"It's nothing important, d-d-don't worry…"

"…does it have to with this Tamamo?"

Bryan flinched a little at the name, but regained his composure.

"Ye-Yes…"

"Who is it?"

"…The Heavenly Knight of the Earth, Tamamo."

"EH?! ANOTHER HEAVENLY KNIGHT?!"

"Yes…"

Great. Just great. First Granberia, now this. But what really worried me was Bryan's reaction. When he was facing Granberia, he was calm and composed; but at the single mention of Tamamo's name, he had a panic attack.

"Is she really…that strong?"

"Eh? We-Well…I guess so…"

Once again, he turned away from me. Then, with a sudden throat clearing, he pointed at me.

"What lies before us does not matter! Now, our only goal is to get the Poseidon's Bell! Is that clear?!"

"Y-YES!"

"Good, now follow me!"

And he started marching through the hallways while I just followed behind him. He was really acting strange. Seriously, is this Tamamo that powerful to warrant this sort of reaction from Bryan? I was really worried now.

XXX

-Bryan-

After some time and letting Luka fight past a Meda and Spider Girl (subsequently saving the sealed kitsune in the process), we arrived at a small room with a chest in the middle.

"…is this it?" asked Luka.

"Well, what do you think?"

Luka started thinking.

"Um…well…if the treasure was that precious, I don't think it'll just be placed in a small room like this. Also…in the worst case scenario, this Tamamo should also already be guarding the treasure…so, I don't think that's it. Also, I learnt from my experience with the Mandrake that I shouldn't touch suspicious looking things anymore."

I nodded.

"Well, your brain doesn't seem to be that empty after all. Let's keep going shall we?"

"R-Right…"

-Some time later-

After walking for quite a while, Bryan abruptly stopped, and I simply walked into him.

"Hey, why did yo…u…"

A monster, as if blocking the way, was guarding an iron door in front of us.

"Careful, Luka…this one…isn't like the rest."

From his tone, I could tell that he was deadly serious. Stepping out to his left, I faced the monster as well.

"Are you an ally of that kitsune?!"

My god…she has seven tails…no wonder Bryan was so serious now. She's obviously in a class of her own compared to the other kitsune.

"Yes…I am Nanabi."

"Eh?"

This monster isn't Tamamo?

"Nanabi…it literally means 'Seven Tails' in their mother tongue…" added Bryan.

"You are right. Past this door is the treasury…so I can't let you pass. If you choose not to return…"

Suddenly, Luka stepped forward.

"I'll advance, even by force!"

"Oi, Luka!"

"A true Hero wouldn't retreat here! We've already come this far anyway!"

"You obviously can't take her on yourself!"

"I know that…but even so! If I ran away now…I'll be a fake Hero forever."

"…tch, you imbecile. Fine, I'll give you backup, but just this once."

Releasing Hyperion, I prepared for what would be my first serious fight up to this point of our quest.

"Hyperion: Falchionform: Beidhändigkeit."

And I instantly grasped a pair of twin falchions in my hands.

"Very well. I shall show you the power of Tamamo's aide!"

"Luka, take the left! I'll hit right!"

"Got it!"

The words had just left our lips when four of her tails shot towards both of us.

"Uwaaaah!"

I just ignored Luka and focused on my side. A kitsune's tails are its main means of physical attack, unless it has a weapon. The biggest problem was their extremely powerful magic. So we just had to beat her before she started using magic!

"Keh-"

Kicking off the wall, I flipped over a tail and delivered a spinning cut to the other.

"As expected, barely a scratch."

Due to the fact that a kitsune's tails themselves are magical and have very high offense and defense (not to mention the high level of pleasure they can bring men to), normal weapons can barely do any damage, and what should have been a deep wound was reduced to a superficial cut in her tail.

"Gyaah!"

With a quick glance, I saw Luka frantically slashing at Nanabi's tails. Due to the power of Angel Halo, it would be still 100% effective.

"Uwaaah!"

But its wielder was definitely a problem.

"Tch, what are you doing?!"

In one rapid move, I cut Luka free from the tail and pulled him away. Throwing one of my falchions in a spin at Nanabi, I used by free hand to start casting.

"Minor Magici: Viridis Magici!"

A green magic circle appeared in my palm.

"Gradus I: Protegat!"

As I finished, a hexagonal magic barrier appeared briefly before Luka before turning transparent.

"What was that?!"

"Green Magic, Protect! It will increase your physical defense!"

Looking at Nanabi, she easily deflected the first falchion.

"You think this will stop me?!"

"No, but that might! Minor Magici: Quo Magici!"

While Nanabi was distracted, I had already thrown my other falchion in a circle around Nanabi to strike her in the back of her head before preparing another buff to cast at Luka. With the reddish-orange magic circle in my palm, I finished.

"Gradus I: Propero!"

The magic circle vanished and reformed at Luka's feet before disappearing in a quick flash.

"Time Magic: Haste. It speeds up your body's time, making you faster. Now go!"

'Right!"

"Cheh!"

Nanabi just managed to duck her head in time to avoid the falchion from behind, but as she did, I had already grabbed my previous falchion and had jumped towards her to grab the other falchion to pull off a massive midair sideways overhead swing.

"Not so easy!"

Just then, Nanabi managed to push me off with a massive swing of a tail. As I flew backward, I shouted.

"Luka!"

"Thunder Thrust!"

Finally, a direct hit! I managed to distract Nanabi long enough for Luka to get in a solid hit. But that definitely wouldn't be enough. I estimated that it would probably take at most 10 good hits with Angel Halo to reduce Nanabi's power by one tail, and we only managed one with all that hard work.

"Hyperion: Katanaform."

To be honest, I wasn't too good with these twin falchions, so I transformed Hyperion into something I knew better, the thin, swift sword known as the katana which originates from the large island of Zipangu, which is east of Yamatai Village. Also, I needed one hand free for casting my Lesser Magic.

"A katana?!" said a surprised Nanabi.

"Yeah, and don't underestimate me with this thing, I'm better at it than you think!"

And in a movement even quicker than before, I dashed at Nanabi.

"How fast are you?!"

Suddenly, she let off a flurry of magic shots at me!

"That's slow!"

I easily dodged all of them while slicing through the last one, and then the tails came. Left, left, right, above, right, behind, front, below, left, above, they all came at amazing speed towards me. She was using five of her tails against me while Luka was battling two.

"Ugh!"

"Did that sting? I hope it did!" I smirked as I sliced one of Nanabi's tails while ducking under another.

"You!"

"Minor Magici: Arcanus Magici!"

From my position on the ground, a blackish-purple magic circle appeared in my hand.

"Gradus II: Gravira!"

As I finished the spell, a moderately large orb of arcane mana soared out of my hand towards Nanabi.

"Do you think I can't block this?!"

"Heh."

But as she touched the orb with her tails, it sunk into the ground and the mana pooled in a large puddle at her feet.

"Gch, you little-! My movements!"

Arcane Magic: Gravira. If used on a weaker opponent, it would have reduced their energy by a third, but in Nanabi's case the effects were simply like if there was 30% extra gravity acting on your body.

"Luka! Into the corridor!"

"Eh?! Got it!"

Somehow, he managed to dodge the tail and joined me. Recalling Hyperion to its gauntlet form I stretched my arms out in front of me.

"What are you doing?"

"Watch."

Our family, the Magecasters, inherited two books of magic from our ancestors, Diedritch Magier Zauber and his lover. The smaller one, with only seven volumes, was the Book of Lesser Magic, Deos Minor Magici. The larger one, with more than twenty volumes, was the Book of Greater Magic, Deos Major Magici. However, these weren't his own works, but gifts from his lover's family. Over time, other mages in the family started developing their own signature spells, and all of these were collected in a book, the Magecaster Family Secret Art, Magierzauber Familie Geheimnis Kunst. With that book, Magecasters of the next generation could study the signature spells of their ancestors and use them themselves. And as the 25th heir, who has studied all three books and learnt them by heart…I am literally a walking magical weapon.

"Magecaster Family Secret Art."

And in front of me appeared the magic circle of our family. A large, scarlet magic circle with runes inscribed into its two outer rotating rings and our family crest in the middle. Balling my hands into fists and bringing them to my mouth, I finished the spell.

"Dragon Breath: Fafnir!"

And I blew out a massive cloud of crackling scarlet mana directly at Nanabi.

"WHAT ARE-"

The rest of Nanabi's sentence was cut off as the massive blast of mana engulfed her in a massive explosion. Putting my hands down, I watched as the mana faded away and all that could be seen was a massive dust cloud.

"…did we win?"

"…of course not."

And as I said that, seven tails came shooting out of the dust cloud at us at amazing speeds!

"Ugaaah!"

"Tch! Hyperion: Gewehrform!"

Turning Hyperion into a rifle, I began firing shot after shot of condensed mana in the form of bullets at the tails.

"Can't it shoot continuously?!" cried Luka.

"Stop complaining!"

After each shot I only needed a fraction of a second to reload it with my mana, but it was fast enough to shoot down the tails as they came. Soon, the dust cloud faded away, and we could see an injured…and seething Nanabi.

"You brats…I'll kill you both!"

"Hyperion: Lanzeform!"

As Hyperion shifted from a rifle to a long, thin lance with a tapered end, I dashed forward into the oncoming tails.

"Luka, follow my lead!"

"Right!"

Running into the tails, I swung and thrusted my lance at a blinding speed, slicing away at the tails while Luka provided backup from behind. Running forward, I executed about a dozen rapid thrusts into the swathe of tails.

"Bryan, above!"

"Got it!"

With an abrupt stop, I threw my arms up and spun Hyperion, slashing away at the incoming tails like a rotor blade. Then, jumping up and batting away three more tails, I transformed Hyperion again.

"Hyperion: Speerform!"

The pole of the lance grew slightly thicker, and the head of the lance turned into a rhombus shape instead of a tapered end, which would do more damage.

"Let's do it!"

Swinging the spear around me, I kicked off the wall and jumped towards Nanabi, the spear batting and slicing away at the tails aimed at me. As I got closer, she swung her claws at me, and I countered with Hyperion. Then, as she swung a tail at me, I flipped myself to her back.

"Speerform Ver.2: Skorpionform!"

Once again, the head of my spear transformed, but this time into a large, triangular arrow-shaped head. Swinging with my left arm, I aimed for her unprotected back.

"Do you think that would hit me?!" she exclaimed as she moved a tail to block the spear. I smiled.

"Of course not."

And with a twist, the spear suddenly broke into segments, the momentum from my previous swing causing the segmented spear to wrap around Nanabi's body and some of her tails. Before she could react, I prepared for another spell.

"Minor Magici: Niger Magici: Gradus III: Tonitruga!"

The electric-yellow magic circle in my hand disappeared, and Nanabi was hit by a massive bolt of lightning.

"GUAAAAAH!"

"Luka!"

"Demon Decapitation!"

I watched in satisfaction as Luka jumped in and landed a perfect hit on the electrified Nanabi's throat, causing her to yell again.

"Luka! The corridor!"

"Gotcha!"

Once again, we retreated into the corridor, and I prepared yet again for another powerful spell. Stretching my right arm to my side, the Magecaster magic circle appeared yet again, in front of my palm.

"Magecaster Family Secret Art…"

The air crackled with power, as my spell began to take form. Crackling scarlet mana condensed into the palm of my right hand and what was a formless cloud of mana formed itself into a long, deadly spear with a huge arrow-shaped tip. If anything, it looked more like a giant arrow than a spear. This time, I made sure that it was charged with 100% of my power.

"God-Slaying Spear…"

The air was practically lit up by the spear and the whole corridor glowed bright-red from my spell. Luka's hair was standing on end while mine was blowing wildly in all directions.

"GUNGNIR!"

I threw the spear, and it rushed down the corridor, cleanly piercing through Nanabi's abdomen. She let out a loud shriek as the spear blew up in yet another explosion of my scarlet mana. The walls of the cave shook, but thankfully they held.

"Is she…dead?"

"No…definitely not."

Finally, the smoke cleared, and Luka gasped at the sight before us. There was a gaping hole through Nanabi's abdomen, and we could cleanly see through it.

"Holy…"

"I'll…kill…you…I'LL KILL YOU, FILTHY HUMANS!"

And in a fit of blind rage, Nanabi blasted a massive beam down the corridor.

"Shit!"

"Gyaaah!"

Which we barely avoided by pressing ourselves flat against the walls of the corridor, but the beam definitely did get us, and my whole left side and Luka's right side were completely singed.

"Luka!"

"I'm ok! Geh…sort of."

Then, I felt it.

"Luka, watch out!"

"Eh?!"

I shielded my eyes just in time, but I heard the sound of Luka's body dropping to the floor. Looking at Nanabi again, she had a horrendous smile on her face.

"Haha…I finally got one of you…"

"Tch…Mystic Eyes…"

"Now…with him taken care of…IT'S YOUR TURN!"

Suddenly, Nanabi threw herself at us, but just as I was about to react!

"What?!"

"Zzzzzz…"

In an impossible move, just like the dance of a fallen angel, Luka somehow dodged all of Nanabi's tails!

"Zzzz…you're always so irritating sometimes…"

He's…still sleeping?

"Was that on accident?!" exclaimed Nanabi. "You won't get lucky a second time! Take this!"

Once again, Nanabi shot out all seven of her tails at Luka, but once again, he dodged!

"Are you mocking me?! No, he's definitely fast asleep…"

"Here…go…"

And all of a sudden, Luka attacked Nanabi in a deadly dance, as if she was being attacked by a nine-headed monster!

"Kuh, impossible! It's as if he's an entirely different person! In that case, how about…THIS!"

And once more, she blasted a beam of mana at Luka!

"Zzzzz…guu…"

But he dodged again! I really couldn't believe what was happening right before my eyes!

"What the hell?!"

"So…full…"

And with a sword accumulated with magic energy, he slammed Angel Halo into Nanabi, and the room shook with the force of impact, as if a heavenly demon had descended upon the cave!

"Gyaaaah! Kuh, what is with that power?! If I get hit by that again, I really will be done for!"

Once again, Nanabi started storing magic energy; and after a while, she attacked!

"EAT THIS! SEVEN MOONS!"

"Mmmmm…useless…"

And in a single stroke, Luka completely countered Nanabi's attack, and retaliated with a magic strike so strong, it looked like as if a dazzling star had smashed through the ceiling of the cave!

"Impossible…this…just who are you people…"

And with that, Nanabi was sealed into a small fox. And suddenly…Luka fell over!

"Oi, Luka!"

XXX

-Luka-

"…..fua…that was a nice nap."

I opened my eyes to a dark cave ceiling. I blinked a couple of times before I remembered what happened.

"Ah, that's right! Those weird eyes made me fall asleep!"

"Luka! You're awake now?!"

I looked around.

"Hey Bryan…what happened? Did you defeat Nanabi after she knocked me out?"

He just stared at me dumfoundedly.

"…You really don't know?"

"Eh?'

"Dude. You completely obliterated Nanabi while you were asleep."

"Eh? You're kidding, right?"

"No, I'm 100% serious. I don't know why, but you're much, much stronger when you're sleeping. You even used techniques that a normal human shouldn't be able to use."

"Yeah. From now on we should just travel while you're sleeping to make things easier."

"Ha ha, funny."

Well, I guess I'll just listen to him for now. I'll just ask him again later. Getting up, I looked at the iron door. And I could feel an oppressive presence coming from behind it.

"Is…Tamamo behind it?"

"I fear that it is so…"

"…Alright. Let's go."

-Treasure Room-

We carefully walked into the room, expecting a Heavenly Knight. But what we saw surprised us to no end. Bryan whistled.

"Damn, that's a whole lot of treasure."

That's right. This definitely was Captain Selene's treasure trove. Although the room wasn't overflowing with gold, decorated chests were everywhere, rare and valuable weapons, shields and armor were hung up on the walls, and at the far end of the room was a moderately-sized altar. But no Tamamo.

"…where is she?"

"I don't know…her presence suddenly vanished…"

We took a few careful steps forward, but as we did, the door suddenly closed behind us! In that instant, we froze, and a voice suddenly floated over to us.

"Weeeell…hello there~ I'm was really surprised that you made it this far…but seeing who you're with, I guess it's no surprise after all~"

Immediately, we both spun around and jumped backward. Standing in front of the closed door was a lone girl, a kitsune, just like Nanabi. But compared to Nanabi's size…this girl would have only come up to her knees. She looks somewhat weaker than Nanabi…thinking that, I let out a relieved sigh.

"Hey Bryan, I think…"

I fell silent at the look on Bryan's face. It was so tense, it looked like if I even touched him he would snap and blow the room up.

"…"

"Boo, what's with that face? You don't look cute at all, Bryan~"

"Q-Q-Quiet! W-Why are you guarding the treasury, Tamamo?"

"You're so mean…I haven't seen you in nine months, and this is how you treat me? Ueen, I'm so very sad…"

Tamamo brought out a handkerchief to wipe away her (fake) tears.

"Well…I've been busy, ok…and well, I haven't been able to find time to go visit Yamatai Village…"

Suddenly, Tamamo broke out into a big grin.

"It's aaalright, I know you're busy too! Come on, give me a hug~~"

"Gah, no!"

I watched in disbelief as Bryan tried to keep Tamamo, who was clamouring for a hug away from him. To be frank, they seemed impossibly close!

"So sad…I missed those days where you would be willing to call me 'mama~' and 'okaa-chan~'…sob"

"I-I-I never called you that! The most I ever did use wa-was…'mother'…"

"But whenever you went to sleep in my fluffy tails you would say 'mama…' in your sleep~ Sooo cute~!"

Bryan was now blushing furiously, and Tamamo was just laughing. Wait, something didn't seem right…!

'Wait, what do you mean by 'mother'?! Bryan?!"

Tamamo turned to face me.

"Oh, you must be Luka, right? I heard about you from Granberia! You're cute too~"

"Eh?! No, what about that 'mother' part!"

"Oh that? Well, I was always familiar with Bryan's family, so when I heard his parents passed away I came over once every few weeks to take care of them so I guess I'm like their second mother! Hee hee~"

I looked at Bryan. He just looked away.

"It's true…I won't deny that she did take good care of us…but that's not the point here!"

"Hey hey, Bryan is like this really powerful guy, right?" said Tamamo as she sidled over to me.

"Um…"

'Stop ignoring me, oi!"

"That's no way to talk to your mom!" snapped Tamamo.

"Geh…sorry…"

No way…so the reason Bryan is afraid of Tamamo isn't because she's an extremely powerful monster…but it's because Tamamo is his (second) mom?!

"Kehe-"

"Oh, what was that Luka? Is something funny?" said Bryan menacingly.

"No! Nothing at all!"

"Hey, don't bully him!" said Tamamo. Turning to me again, she said. "Hey, what if I told you about his one greatest weakness?"

Bryan's…one greatest weakness?

"Don't you dare."

"Oh, I will~ Luka, Bryan has one massive weakness, and I'm the only one who can exploit it~ And no, it's not because I'm a parental figure to him."

"Um…" I couldn't hold on to my curiosity any longer. "What is it?"

Tamamo's face split into a big grin.

"My fluffy tails of course!"

"…Eh?"

Bryan had finally walked over to us and was now standing next to Tamamo.

"Luka! She's lying! Don't listen to her!"

"Oh, I'm lying? Really."

"Y-Yeah!"

Bryan seemed to be panicking now as I watched the two of them banter back and forth.

"How on earth could my weakness be as lame as fluffy tails anyway, right Luka?!"

"If that's the case, where's your right hand now, hmm?" replied Tamamo.

We all looked down, to see Bryan squeezing one of Tamamo's tails in his right hand. He hurriedly pulled his hand away and took a few steps backward away from us.

"Hee hee~"

"…Bryan…"

"That was an accident, I swear! When I was standing next to her she placed her tail in my ha-aaa….an….nd…"

Bryan's sentence failed as Tamamo started waving a tail in front of his face.

"Hora hora, I know you want it~ It's been nine long months since you've played with my tails~ Don't you just want to hug the fluffiness out of it? Not that you can of course~"

Bryan snapped out of his trance in a jerk and looked away while crossing his arms.

"Please, you have got to be kidding me…"

Even as he said that, he still took a sideways glance at Tamamo's tails, and I swear he started drooling a bit.

"Come on! You know you want to~ Luka doesn't mind, right?"

She turned to me with a smile while Bryan pointedly looked away from us.

"Um…no, I don't…"

"See, he doesn't mind! I know you're embarrassed about it in public!"

"I AM NOT! Fine, just because you keep insisting! I-It's not like I want to, you know!"

"Hee hee, Bryan can be such a tsun around Tamamo sometimes~"

Slowly, he walked towards Tamamo's tails, and I swore that his eyes were sparkling. Finally, he stretched out one of his arms to poke a tail. Then slowly, he reached out and grabbed it.

"…"

"…"

"~~~"

"…*MOFU*"

And all of a sudden, he buried his face inside the tail!

"Ha?!"

I was in complete shock as I watched Bryan hug the tail and rub his face in the fur.

"So fluffy~~ I missed this~~ The smell is the same too~~"

"…"

"Heheh, I caught you~"

"UAH!"

And all of a sudden, another tail grabbed hold of Bryan and in a flash, he was engulfed by the rest of the tails.

"Bryan!"

At first, I could tell that he was struggling furiously within the tails, but the struggling started to slow down, until finally, it ceased altogether.

"W-What did you do to him?!"

"Relax, he's just sleeping~ Right now, he's in perfect bliss."

"…"

"Well then, now that he's out of the way, I can finally have a proper talk with you, Luka."

Suddenly, I tensed up. Was she going to attack? As I turned my gaze lower, I noticed that Tamamo was holding a bell in her left hand. An incredibly old bell attached to a string.

"No way, is that…"

"Yes, this is the Poseidon's Bell. Crossing over to Sentora is annoying, so I'm taking this. Honestly it doesn't matter to me, but Alma is so annoying…"

"Alma?"

"Yes, Alma Elma, she's one of the four Heavenly Knights who is causing the annoying route-blocking storm."

"…Does she have a reason for blocking the route?"

"That aside, if you want this bell, what are you going to do?"

"Um…defeat you and…no, that's not possible, is it…"

Damn…how am I going to get it…

"Haha, you're a funny one…no wonder you've somehow managed to catch Bryan's interest…"

…now that I think about it…this actually might be my chance…while we're still talking like this…I should…

"Hey…can I ask you a different question?"

"Hmm? What is it?"

"…who exactly is Bryan. Who is he? Who are the Magecasters? How does he know the Monster Lord?!"

Tamamo looked at me, narrowing her eyes a little. I involuntarily took a step back.

"…you don't know? He didn't tell you, hmm?"

"Umm…not much…"

"I would tell you…but I don't want to invade his privacy…if he hasn't told you, he must have his reasons…"

"I guess…"

She's right…maybe I should stop prying…but if the Monster Lord really is his acquaintance…what does he actually think of my goal to defeat her?

"But then again…since it'll make things more interesting for both of you, I guess I'll tell you after all!"

"…ha?"

"Well then, are you prepared…Luka?"

"…Yes…who is the Monster Lord to Bryan Magecaster."

Tamamo suddenly grew serious and looked me straight in the eye.

"Bryan Magecaster, the 25th heir of the Magecaster family and Alipheese the XVI, the Sixteenth Monster lord…are childhood friends."

Suddenly, I felt like the whole world had just froze. I could barely think. I almost felt like falling to my knees.

"…eh?"

"That's right…Bryan has known Alice since they were little…in fact at this point, they're more or less a couple already."

"Bryan…is the Monster Lord's…lover?"

"Well, I guess you could say that."

"No way…why didn't he tell me…Tamamo…who are the Magecasters exactly?"

"What did he tell you?"

"He told me…that his ancestor fell in love with a powerful monster…and formed the powerful Magecaster family."

"…honestly, he's such a liar."

"He lied to me?"

Tamamo sighed.

"Well, not exactly…it isn't a lie…but it's far from the truth."

"…will you tell me the truth?"

"…yes, I will."

Looking at me dead in the eye once more, she said to me:

"The lover of the Magecaster family's ancestor was none other than the Dark God, Alipheese the I. In short, the Magecaster family are direct descendants of the First Monster Lord."

This time, I really did fall to my knees.

"No…you're kidding…direct descendants…of the Dark God?"

The Dark God…the first Monster Lord, creator, mother and ancestor of all monsters that have ever existed. According to the books, she was going to spread her darkness over the land, but one day Ilias declared war on the monsters. That was the Great Monster Wars which ultimately ended in Ilias' victory.

"So…now you know. What are you going to do, now that you know this…Luka?"

"I…I don't know…"

I really didn't…for the first time since leaving Ilias Village…I was at a complete loss.

"…well anyway, I guess I'll be taking the bell, so-hmm?"

The small kitsune I first defeated in the cave was pulling on Tamamo's sleeve and was whispering in her ear.

"What? Hmmhmm, I see. So you saved her life, Luka? Then as the leader of the kitsunes, I must thank you."

Laughing softly, she walked up to me.

"How do you want me to thank you? Delicious thin fried tofu? Or do you want to touch my special fluffy tail?

"…"

I was just staring blankly at her. I couldn't even think straight. Her words just kept bouncing off the inside of my skull. As I stared at her blankly, she sighed.

"Well, I guess you'll want the bell hmm? I don't particularly need it anyway. I just wandered in here because the traps looked fun~"

Then, she shook her tails, and Bryan fell out of them, fast asleep. But he was still clutching one of the tails tightly."

"Jeez…look at him, just like a baby."

Finally, she shook Bryan off her tail and he landed on the floor of the cave with a soft thump.

"Mmm…no…don't leave me…"

After gazing at Bryan with a sad expression for a while, she turned towards me and placed the bell in front of me.

"Luka…if your goal is really to defeat the Monster Lord, then one day, we will have to fight, for I am one of her Four Heavenly Knights. But today is not that day. That aside, I have a request."

A request? I looked at her, slightly paying more attention.

"Luka…please look after Bryan for me…he seems strong…but inside, he's just a sad and fragile child. The loss of his parents and family hit him much harder than it seems, and despite both my efforts and Alice's, he still hasn't fully recovered. So please, until the day we have to fight…be a good friend to him."

And as she finished, all three kitsunes vanished from my sight.

"…"

XXX

-Bryan-

"Hmmmm…hmm?"

I sat up and rubbed my eyes. What happened? Suddenly, I remembered.

"Geh…that Tamamo…the next time I see her, I'll…oh. Hey Luka."

I caught sight of Luka sitting not too far away with his back against a treasure chest.

"Hey, what happened? Did Tamamo-?"

"…why didn't you tell me."

"Huh?"

"Why didn't you tell me anything...?"

"…anything?"

"Anything…about yourself…about your family…about…Alice…"

…I hate you, Tamamo.

"…what did she tell you."

"Everything."

"…I see…"

We sat there in perfect silence. After a few minutes, he spoke up again.

"Why didn't-"

"You know very damn well why I didn't and wouldn't tell you anything."

He fell silent.

"Sorry…I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"Me too…I shouldn't have asked Tamamo about you…"

I shook my head.

"No…I would have had to tell you sooner or later…it was just a matter of time…I guess I'll have to thank her after all…"

"…"

I stood up, walked over to Luka and offered him my hand.

"Come on. We're returning to Iliasport."

"Iliasport?"

I nodded.

"Yes…I think it's time…that I told you everything."

"…Everything?"

"Yes…everything."

* * *

Yaaay, cliffhanger! I was really looking forward to writing this, and now, I have! Praise the Dark God! Anyway, thanks for reading up to this chapter and also a big thanks to Apprentice to Fantasy, Ryo551, The Glorious Executioner and blarg7865 (great name btw) for favouriting! Although I don't have many readers for this…..this way, I get less flames! Anyway, thank you for following, the next chapter might take a while because I REALLY need some time away from the pc…but I guess I'll end up writing it down on paper instead. Oh well. Capitalism, ho!


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